The Legend of Arcceonn Gen 5
by Raynar K'Tal
Summary: The son of a legendary explorer who disappeared seventeen years ago searches for his father and meets up with some old friends, as well as a mysterious group set on killing him. Inspired by the Exploration Team Series.
1. TitleDisclaimer

Pokémon and any references I may have used are in no way mine and belong to their respective owners. Character names, personae, the story, and pretty much everything else (including the double tri-spear weapon concept) are my property and therefore consult me if you should desire to use them. If anybody notices any copyright infringement, I did not know about it, and if you have a problem with that, f*** off! (Please excuse my language; this is to let you know how much I hate idiots)

**The Legend of Arcceonn**

**Generation 5: Raynar, the Knight**

Written by Raynar K'Tal

Edited by Poketoa

Table of Contents

Chapter 1…pg 1-5

Chapter 2…pg 6-9

Chapter 3…pg 10-15

Chapter 4…pg 16-


	2. Chapter 1: Dawn

Chapter 1: Dawn

_A small port town in a very little explored land without even a proper name is where our story begins. This port, known locally as Station 1, is just one of four such exploration outposts in the region, but this one is where most supplies are shipped to. It is here that a ship the residents of the port call "The Arcceonn Express", unloads its usual load of passengers, including one passenger of particular interest. His name is Raynar K'Tal; a relatively unknown explorer who is as far as most are concerned nonexistent, but his mission to find his long absent father is truly the stuff of legend._

It is about six o'clock in the afternoon when the S.S. Harpoon arrived at the port called Station 1 as it always does. The ferry arrives carrying food, commodities, and workers, but no matter what the cargo, there are sometimes other passengers it carried. It was this day that two such passengers disembarked, ready to take on every challenge the Arcceonn region could throw at them. One of them was there to visit family and find a job, the other, however, was on a mission that he knew was of the utmost importance; because his life, was the life of the explorer.

"Wow, so this is the Arcceonn Region!" exclaimed Rocky Dustan: a slightly larger-than-average-sized Golem, "I knew it was big, but this place makes me feel microscopic…and I just got here!" His companion, a Lucario, rested his palm upon Rocky's shoulder. Rocky looked up to his companion, who had an expression on his face that seemed to say, "I know. You'll get used to it." Rocky felt reassured with that, especially since his friend was born and raised in the region. He knew he could trust his friend to get him out of trouble, as he had before.

"I suggest we find a place to stay for the night", said the Lucario in a serious tone, "It will be dusk soon, and the nights here can be much darker than they were at the academy, and far more dangerous…" He tightened the focus sash he wore around his waist and prepared to leave the dock when he sensed a familiar presence nearby. He closed his eyes and reached out with his aura, trying to identify the stalker. "I see it's still not so easy to sneak up on you Raynar", said a deep voice from behind the Lucario, "You haven't changed a bit." Raynar, the Lucario, sighed and replied, "Hello Dallon, didn't think I'd find you here." Dallon Lettos was a large Dusknoir with an uncanny amount of intelligence and a tendency to disappear as soon as he entered an area. Raynar never particularly trusted him, but then again, neither did he trust many others. Rocky turned to face Dallon and said, "Whatcha doing here Spooky, lost something?"

Dallon looked at Rocky and narrowed his single, luminescent red eye at Rocky's use of his old nickname. "You haven't changed either Boulder", Dallon remarked, using the name Rocky earned for being thick-skulled. It wasn't really an insult, as Rocky actually seemed to take pride in his moniker. Dallon then turned back to Raynar. "I hear you're going to explore the region Raynar", he said, "I have some…business here in the region that I need to secure. Good luck." Dallon faded into a shadow and disappeared. "Why does he have to that?" Rocky whined. "You know Dallon…" Raynar replied, "As soon as you see him, he's gone."

* * *

The next day, Raynar opened his eyes and sat up in his cot at the local motel. Rocky was still asleep, but it was almost dawn, and to maximize his progress, he would have to leave now, even if Rocky would be left behind. "He's a big guy, he can take care of himself" Raynar thought as he got out of his bed and stretched his limbs before beginning his preparations to leave. Raynar was in no rush though, since everything he had could either be worn on his waist or fit into one of the many pockets on his worn-out pants. He took a quick shower and made himself a cup of coffee using one of the free packs the motel provided. As he sat on his cot with his coffee, he thought to himself, "Is my father alive, and if so, will I ever find him?" He was suddenly angry at himself for thinking defeatist thoughts. He cursed himself mentally and threw the now-empty coffee mug against the wall, shattering it on impact, before tying his focus sash around his waist and walking out the door.

Within ten minutes Raynar was on the road to Station 3, the final rest stop before entering the Arcceonn Wilderness, the still unexplored areas of the region. Raynar looked out ahead of him. The first rays of sunlight had begun to arc out on the horizon, as if a set of ropes were hoisting the morning sun into the sky. "I'm home" he thought, "After two years of waiting, I'm finally home." Now rejuvenated by the sun's rays, Raynar continued along the road, stopping every few miles to ensure he was on the right path. "At this rate, I should arrive by noon" he thought, "I should be able to get way into the wilderness by then."

Just then Raynar hears footsteps behind him. He turns to see a Weavile approaching him. "Excuse me sir" said the Weavile, "But could you do me a favor?" Raynar paused for a second and replied, "What do you need?" The Weavile shrugged and responded, "Oh I don't know, some water and directions to Station 3 would suffice." Raynar handed the Weavile his canteen, from which he drank over half its contents. "Thank you very much" the Weavile said, appearing refreshed, "Now about those directions…" Raynar cut him off, saying, "I was heading that way anyways, just follow this road." Raynar continued walking when the Weavile stopped him. "You know it's never a good idea to travel alone." He said, "You might be attacked." Raynar was about to reply with a smart remark when he noticed a pair of eyes staring at him from a tree. "Get down!" Raynar yelled as a Hitmontop jumped out of the tree in his direction. Not adjusting for Raynar's sudden maneuver, the Hitmontop kept going and collided with the Weavile, knocking him to the ground. "Way to go Westley" the Weavile yelled angrily as he pushed the Hitmontop off of him, "how could you miss him at this range!?" Westley, the Hitmontop, got up and sarcastically retorted, "Yeah and I was supposed to know he would duck out of the way, huh John!?" As they argued, Raynar realized he had just walked into a bandit ambush, albeit a poorly coordinated one. He was embarrassed that he had fallen into a trap so easily, and that the two bandits obviously didn't plan this far forward, which doesn't speak much of their intelligence. However, Raynar now knew that they were criminals, and he intended to knock them out.

"So you're bandits huh?" Raynar said, "In that case, you've ambushed the wrong Lucario!" John and Westley stopped arguing and turned to face Raynar. "And what are you, a cop?" Westley taunted, "Or just some do-gooder who's asking for trouble?" Raynar didn't answer, instead opting to slowly slide his left leg back, enabling him to lunge at them if necessary. "Either way, we can't leave any witnesses to call the fuzz" John said in a calm but menacing tone, "No hard feelings, it's just business." Raynar tenses his muscles, prepared to move at the any second. "All right then, looks like we'll have to settle this my way…" Raynar said, "Let's go!" With these words, the fight was on.

John and Westley jump, one to each side to move behind Raynar and strike from the rear, but Raynar anticipated this and jumped and Westley. Westley wasn't prepared for Raynar's sudden offense and tries to counter, but not before Raynar sends him flying to the other side with an aerial side kick. This disrupted John's own movement, causing him to fall to the ground. Westley was hit hard and staggered back to his feet, while John, who was virtually unharmed, recovers quickly. "Hmm, not bad…" John said in his naturally cold voice, "but you can't win, not against us!" Raynar replied, "We'll see…" as he rushed at his opponents. Westley was now on his feet and attacked with Hi-Jump Kick. Raynar simply ducked to evade, causing Westley to fly right towards a tree. "Not again!" Westley exclaimed as he hit the tree at full speed. He slid down the trunk and slumped over, unconscious. "Well, looks like It's up to me" John said as he ran at Raynar, attacking with a flurry of Night Slashes. Raynar effortlessly blocked his attacks and grabbed John's neck, raising his fist to knock him out. "Uh…can we talk about this?" John asked sheepishly. "Sure" Raynar said as he threw Westley at the same tree, knocking him out on impact, "…when you're in jail…"

After ensuring that the bandits were unconscious, Raynar continued on his way. "Their little distraction cost me about half an hour" he thought, "I'll have to bypass Station 3 altogether and take the shortcut…right through the most dangerous stretch of the mountain range." There had been more than a few explorers who died in the mountains Raynar now had to traverse, and he knew it, which is why he only considered this option as a last resort. "Oh well, beggars can't be choosers…" he lamented as he walked off of the path and into the woods.

* * *

It was now nearly sunset, and Raynar had been moving nonstop since daybreak, not that it bothered him that much. Instead, another, but equally important matter was on Raynar's mind. "I haven't eaten in over a day straight" he thought, "I'll need find something soon, or it'll be too dark to set up a shelter." As if somebody had read his thoughts, an apple dropped right onto his head, and bounced into his hands. Raynar looked up to see if anybody threw it as well as to look for more apples, but he saw neither pokémon nor apples. "Oh well, I guess this'll do for now…" Raynar thought, as he devoured the apple, "That just leaves the shelter, but it's too dark for that." Raynar then looked at the tree again and thought, "The tree should do." He climbed up into the tree and lay down on a wide and relatively flat limb. He looked off into the sky as the light faded; wondering what was in store for him. He slowly closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Raynar awoke with a jolt. He was in a cold sweat and his body trembled. "Another nightmare…" he thought. He looked up into the sky and checked the moon's position and phase. It was a full moon and by its position Raynar deduced it was probably just before midnight. "It's very late, I need to get some sleep" he thought as he lay back down, "If these nightmares continue, I won't be getting much sleep for a long time…"

He was about to doze off again when he saw a strange figure standing right over him. His eyes finally made it out as an Absol; it was ragged, tired-looking, and looked as if it had just fought in war, the diamond-hard blade on his head obviously being scratched and worn through years of use, but its edge was still honed down to the sharpest it could possibly be. Raynar was not the type who was easily scared, but this Absol seemed quite foreboding to Raynar. "W-who are you?" Raynar asked, his voice trembling, "What do you want from me?" The Absol didn't respond, instead just turning and jumping away, further into the forest. "That was strange…" Raynar thought, "I'd better look out for him in the future, as I don't think he's one to be trusted. Raynar was about to go back to sleep when he jolted t back up. "Oh yeah, the letter I got!" he thought. He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, opened it and pulled out the letter inside. He created a small aura sphere to provide light and began to read…

_Dear Raynar,_

_ I heard you were coming back. That's great to hear! I've missed you so much while you were gone, I couldn't even sleep at night since I got your message that you were coming back. About Derek, I have no idea what he's up to, you know how difficult it is to keep track of him, but last I checked he was talking looking for a part-time job. He always says, "If I wanna look good for the ladies I gotta have some cash right!?" Whenever I try to tell him that he's not "all-that", he starts raving like a maniac about one day he's gonna be a celebrity, but he doesn't seem to get that he needs to graduate high school first! Anyways, how are things on your end? Actually on second thought, I'll wait for you to tell me in person! I hope to see you soon!_

_ Sincerely,_

_ Eva Sorenson_

Raynar smiled as he thought of his childhood friend. "I hope to see you soon as well Eva", he thought, "I really do." With that, Raynar put the letter back in his pocket and let his aura sphere dissipate. He slowly, but steadily, drifted off to sleep, knowing that by sunrise the next morning, he would be on the move again, only this time, he'll need every ounce of strength he can muster, for once he gets across the mountains, he would be in the wilderness, and his real journey would begin.

5


	3. Chapter 2: Steel Resolve

Chapter 2: Steel Resolve

_As Raynar K'Tal takes a detour on his route into the Arcceonn Wilderness, he knows he is taking a gamble. There is no telling what may lie ahead, nor is there any guarantee that he will succeed in his ultimate goal. What he does know is that there will be obstacles and hardships in his path for him to overcome, and should he prove that his resolve is stronger than steel, there might be hope that he could succeed on his journey. He will need to test his resolve soon, as he climbs up and over one of Arcceonn's highest peaks and into the unknown._

At sunrise, Raynar awoke quickly. "This is it" he thought, "Today I transcend the mountain and venture into the wilderness. I'll need everything I've ever learned to get through this." With that he jumped down from his temporary shelter, hid evidence of him being there from those bandits if they're looking for him, and started walking to the North East in the direction of what has become known as the "Boundary Range", the limit of exploration in the region. As Raynar walked to the base of the mountains, he considered his possible routes. "There is only one route through the mountains in this area, and it takes me through the highest peak in the range" he thought, "Well…I guess I'll have to be cautious, as there's no telling what I may encounter on the way…" Setting aside any fears he had, he continued forward.

* * *

Within a little more than two hours Raynar was at the base of Mount Resolve, the tallest mountain in the entire range. "Almost 12,000 feet to the summit…" he thought, "This could take a while…" As Raynar started towards the entrance of a cave that he thought would take him higher, he sensed an unknown presence, watching him from the shadows. Instinctively, Raynar closed his eyes and scanned for the aura that would emanate from any living thing in the area. Raynar detected nothing, and thus opened his eyes again. "Hmm…" he thought, "I could've sworn I was being watched…" He decided to give it no further thought, lest in should delay him any further, and ventured into the cave.

It didn't take long for Raynar to realize his intuition was correct. The ground sloped upwards, which would suggest an increase in elevation. "As long as I don't disturb the residents, I'll be out of this tunnel in no time" he thought. However, Raynar's foot had accidentally kicked a small pebble, the sound of which seemed deafening in the silence of the tunnel. Raynar froze and slowed his breathing as to remain completely silent, as he had realized that he had made that noise. Then Raynar heard a loud thump, then another, and another, each one a little louder than the last. Something was approaching, something big. "Aw Shit!" Raynar cursed under his breath. Just then there was an explosion, followed by a rain of dirt and gravel. Raynar ducked and hid behind a boulder until everything settled, then he slowly peeked his head out from behind the rock.

At first Raynar saw nothing, until a glowing "X" appeared, flashing at an increasing rate. "Dammit!" Raynar thought as he leapt away from the boulder. Not even a second later, an orange beam lanced out from the apparition, hitting the boulder behind which Raynar was hiding, and incinerated it! "A Hyper Beam!" Raynar thought as he got to his feet and into a combat stance. He increased his aura output to cause his body to glow, illuminating the area. Where the glowing "X" was, there was now a very large, very angry Metagross. "You are not welcome here", it said in a deep, metallic voice, "Leave now and you shall be spared." Raynar knew just from the size of it that this Metagross was no ordinary Metagross, yet he was not the type to back down from a challenge, and he had no intent of starting over when he had gotten so far. "I'm not going anywhere except forward!" Raynar yelled in reply, "Even if it means going through you!" The Metagross seemed unfazed. It paused for a moment, and seemed to smirk somewhat. "You speak boldly" it said, "but can you fight with the same determination?" Raynar was taken back that this Metagross wasn't trying to defend its territory, but rather it seemed to want to test him. "Perhaps I should demonstrate my skill and let you be the judge of that" Raynar replied as he moved into a fighting stance, "I will not disappoint you." The Metagross got ready to fight as well, saying "Don't tell me, show me."

Raynar moved first, attempting to use his superior speed to gain the initiative, but was shocked when he got struck by Metagross' Bullet Punch! Raynar was knocked on his back by the attack, but he quickly recovered as if nothing has happened. "Oh, you like playing games huh?" Raynar taunted, "Here's how I play!" Raynar rushes in close, jumps in mid-run, and uses Blaze Kick to inflict maximum damage, but realizes that it barely did anything to Metagross, whom was surrounded by a silvery glow. "Iron Defense" Raynar thought, "I should've seen that coming." He uses the momentum of his failed strike to rebound away before Metagross could counter, but instead of landing on his feet, he finds himself getting both blasted against a wall and blinded! It was Metagross' Flash Cannon, and Metagross had scored a direct hit. Raynar's eyes were in excruciating pain from the flash, but he calmly got back up and closed his eyes, reaching out to the aura within him to grant him sight. He could now see Metagross very clearly, and could also see it preparing to use another Hyper Beam. Raynar knew that it was all over if he was struck, so he opted for an improvised solution. He would wait for the exact second Metagross struck, then strike it when it's most vulnerable. Metagross fired its Hyper Beam, but Raynar jumps at the last second and focuses his aura even more, bringing it into a single mass of pure energy. "Aura Sphere!" he yelled as he released the ball of energy at the Metagross, striking it dead center in the face! The Metagross released a metallic shriek as it is hit and blown back against the wall. It then slowly rises from the rubble, but as it was now too weak to fight, it collapsed unconscious.

Making sure that his vision had recovered, Raynar continued through the tunnel in with the utmost caution, this time being much more careful about objects at his feet and taking much lighter, quieter steps. "I hope there isn't anything else here like THAT monster…" he thought, he shuddered at the thought of having to fight something even larger. Raynar knew that this was going to be the toughest challenge he had faced in a long time, but now he knew that he should be expecting far greater obstacles in the days to come. With this in mind, Raynar pressed on to the tunnel exit.

* * *

Now out of the tunnel, Raynar considered his next course of action. "It would probably be best to travel the rest of the way outside so as to make it easier to spot danger BEFORE I run into it" he thought. While he thought about the matter further, he went over to a tree and broke off a limb. Then, using his dagger, he removed any twigs that were attached, making himself a walking stick. With his decision made, Raynar began climbing through the long, twisting pass to the summit.

Several tiring hours later, Raynar realized something about the encounter with the Metagross further down the mountain. "It spoke of proving my resolve stronger than steel…" he thought, "what could that mean?" He kept mulling these thoughts around in his head as he climbed, using them to keep himself focused on the task at hand. He was now almost all the way to the summit, and he wasn't going to let some big monster intimidate him, and despite the fact that there were legends of something even stronger at the summit, Raynar had convinced himself that the worst was already behind him. "I grew up in this region" he thought confidently, "if there were any monsters here, I would know about them."

* * *

"I've done it!" Raynar yelled aloud as he reached the summit, the first to do so in history. What Raynar saw in front of him was nothing short of impressive. It was a tall statue of a figure Raynar could not recognize. Puzzled, Raynar slowly approached the statue. "Do not be discouraged" a voice seemingly out of nowhere said. Raynar froze and scanned the area for aura, but found nothing, then the voice continued to speak. "Your skill is great, but not when alone" the voice said, "You must have the determination to win, and that determination must be stronger than any metal. If you use that will to win, you shall succeed…" As soon as the voice stopped, a figure appeared just in front of the statue, standing with its arms crossed in front of it. Raynar looked at it with curiosity and slowly approached, but then something seemed to shift. The figures arms unfolded form its hulking form, slowly lowering to rest at its sides, revealing a dark gray crevice in its silvery body. Suddenly, seven glowing orbs appeared in the center of it, and the figure looked straight at Raynar before beginning its slow advance towards him. Raynar's eyes widened in horror at what he was face-to-face with. "T-that's Registeel!" he thought, "this must be the monster I heard about!" Registeel continued its steady advance, getting ever closer to Raynar. Raynar got into a fighting stance, thinking "My determination must be stronger than steel, I will not lose!" Registeel stopped and raised its arms into what could be considered an attack stance, and the fight was on.

Raynar ran right up to Registeel to fight it at close-quarters, only for Registeel to simply smack him out of the way with a simple back-handed slap. Raynar was knocked sprawled on the ground, but this light hit would not discourage him. He immediately got right back up and attacked again, this time with Close Combat. Registeel was obviously feeling the effects, but it weathered the blows seemingly without injury, then countered Raynar's attack with Superpower! Raynar was hit hard by the blow, barely keeping himself from falling off the ledge he had just climbed. "Registeel is not only very strong but almost impervious to melee attacks", he thought, "I'll just have to use improvised tactics, now won't I?" Registeel began charging up its Flash Cannon. "I'm not falling for THAT one again!" he yelled and jumped just before the attack could connect. Raynar used his upward momentum to bring a Blaze Kick down on Registeel, scoring a direct hit and causing severe damage, but hardly knocking it out. Raynar landed just in front of the statue. "Hey! Lughead!" Raynar yelled, causing Registeel to turn around. "I'm over here!" Raynar taunted, trying to provoke Registeel into striking. Sure enough, Registeel charged at Raynar with Giga Impact, but just as the attack is about to connect, Raynar spins out of the metal juggernaut's path, causing Registeel to ram the statue and bringing the stone colossus down on top of it, ending the battle by trapping Registeel.

Raynar walked over to the statue to assess the damage. He was astonished to see that Registeel had disappeared, but in its place was a silvery-looking sash with a red sevault ensign upon it. Raynar picked it up and held it in his hands. "A trophy perhaps?" he thought, "If not, it makes a nice souvenir…" He tied the sash around his chest, sliding one end over his left shoulder, and he felt oddly refreshed, as if it contained some sort of power. "What is this!?" he thought.

* * *

Raynar's descent down the other side of the mountain was uneventful, and took place in total darkness as the mountain now hid the sun. "I have proven that I have the will to survive and succeed" he thought, "but mere determination will not be enough, there is still so much I do not know about me or my father for that matter." Raynar decided to not let these thoughts trouble him, instead trying to imagine what he would say to Eva when he saw her again. Ultimately, he decided to leave his experience on the mountain as a footnote, for he knew he still had much to learn. If his resolve is stronger than steel, then he has yet to find his limits.

10


	4. Chapter 3: Into the Wilderness

Chapter 3: Into the Wilderness

_After Raynar K'Tal's bout with Registeel and descent from the 11,568 foot summit of the highest peak in the Barrier Range, he finally leaves the established "Civilized Territory" and enters the wilds of the Arcceonn Region, the first to do so from his route. As of now, he is completely alone and cut off from all support, meaning that a mistake here would almost certainly bring about a slow and painful death. He may find others, and from them might either make friends or enemies, but never since his childhood had he ever been completely alone, and now he has to rely on the skills he had perfected throughout his life if he is to survive as he ventures into the unknown._

As the sun completely set behind the mountains, the night came in complete darkness, save the light of the moon, shining intermittently through gaps in the virtual shield made by the intersecting tops of trees. Raynar K'Tal found these conditions comforting, as it reminded him of how he once lived ten years prior, but he also knew that the darkness may hide potential enemies that could strike at any time from any direction. Raynar knew based on the sounds made by the resident pokemon around him that there were no threats in the area, which in itself provided further reassurance. "The wilds of Arcceonn…" he thought, "It's just as I remember it: remote, quiet, and untouched by the turmoil of the outside world. Save the deep ocean and the Earth's interior, this may just be the world's last true frontier." He felt content that the Arcceonn wilderness remained untamed, but knew that with his transversal of the Barrier Range, eventual settlement was inevitable, but he had already come to terms with that, knowing that it might be for the best.

Suddenly the noises around Raynar fell silent. Raynar immediately froze in his tracks, the silence now deafening. Raynar knew that sudden silence in a forest meant imminent danger, and so he closed his eyes, screening the surrounding area for traces of aura. To his horror, he discovered that he was surrounded on all sides. He had walked right into an ambush. "Dammit!" he thought, "I should've known better than to let my guard down!" The aura's sources were moving closer to his position, slowly increasing the speed of their movement as the range closed. Raynar drew his dagger, ready to fight for his life, as the attackers were drawing even closer.

Finally, with a loud snarl, a Mightyena pounced on him from behind, fangs bared. I landed on Raynar's back and sank its teeth into his shoulder. Raynar yelled out in pain and grabbed the Mightyena, throwing it from his back. The Mightyena landed on his side, getting back up in an instant. Another Mightyena leaped at Raynar from the opposite direction. This time, however, Raynar was prepared, and he launched a spinning back kick right into the Mightyena's path, knocking it to the ground. This Mightyena got back up as well, and he along with the first and six more began circling Raynar at a distance, intent on taking him down in a swarmed attack.

Raynar looked each one in the eye, knowing their intent, and said, "You've made a grave error with your attack, go after another target." The first Mightyena, apparently the pack's leader, snarled at Raynar in contempt. "As if we'd do that!" he replied hatefully, "I don't negotiate with outsiders, so go back where you came or suffer the consequences!" Raynar realized he wouldn't be able to reason his way out of this and prepared to fight, even if the odds _were_ eight to one. "I will not turn back" he said, "not until I've accomplished what I came here to do!" The second Mightyena seemed to get a little closer. "Let's finish him Aufang!" he yelled to the leader. In response, the leader replied, "Do as you will Greytooth, everyone else stay back; Greytooth and I will handle this one ourselves." Raynar looked at the two Mightyenas circling him, knowing that he must obtain victory, or die trying.

Aufang was the again the first to attack, lunging at Raynar, his fangs charged for a Thunder Fang attack. Raynar countered by spinning out of the way and slamming Aufang's flank with Force Palm upon the latter's landing. Aufang was staggered by the sudden counterstrike, but managed to shake off the blow as if it were nothing. Greytooth was next, this time attacking from the side in an attempt to divide Raynar's attention. Raynar backflipped out of the way, kicking Greytooth into the air as he does so. Greytooth hit the ground with a thud, gasping for breath, before getting back on his feet a few seconds later, by which time Raynar had begun his counterstrike. Raynar ran towards Greytooth and leapt into the air, then used Blaze Kick on the way down, hitting Greytooth right on the head. Greytooth howled in pain as he was blown into a tree and fell to the ground. Greytooth attempted to rise but failed and collapsed from exhaustion. "Greytooth!" Aufang yelled, then his tone transformed from concern to a blind rage when he received no response, "you'll come to a painful end for that!" Aufang ran right at Raynar and used Take Down. Raynar sees the attack too late and suffers severe damage, barely recovering from the savage blow.

Aufang stood on top of Raynar and said, "Now you know my wrath…" He readied to finish Raynar for good when the sevault ensign on the Steel Sash began glowing. Raynar's aura became visible around him, first its normal blue before changing to a very light grey. Raynar's eyes now began to glow the same color, and he reached up and grabbed Aufang, then threw him back about twenty feet, before slowly rising to his feet. "Huh? What's going on!?" Aufang exclaimed in surprise. Raynar then spoke, but even more to Aufang's shock, the voice was not his opponents, for it now had a metallic edge to it that caused his fur to stand on end in fear. "Let me demonstrate my _true_ power!" Raynar yelled as he launched a grey-white Aura Sphere at Aufang. Aufang was hit by the ball of energy, which exploded on impact and blew him high into the air. Raynar leaped after him, striking him repeatedly with Close Combat before driving him into the ground with an aura-enhanced Blaze Kick. Aufang, now critically wounded, limped over to Greytooth and hefted his comrade up onto his back. "Everyone fall back!" he yelled, "Don't let that monster pursue!" With those words, the Mightyenas retreated in panic. Raynar just stared at them as they ran. His new power began to fade and the sudden decrease in strength knocked him unconscious.

* * *

The next morning, at Station 3, all the way on the opposite side of the Barrier Range, Dallon Lettos was sitting in a bar, arguing with a shiny Lucario. He had made a bet with the Lucario, named Derek, and he had lost, even though it wasn't quite possible to prove whether he won or lost. "Pay up Dallon, suck up your pride and acknowledge that a deal's a deal, even when it isn't in your favor" Derek said, needling Dallon for his prize. Dallon finally couldn't take it anymore. "Here, take it!" he yelled, handing Derek 5,000 poke, "now don't rub it in!" Derek gave a smug grin and replied, "That's more like it, I'll get us a couple drinks."

He called the waiter and ordered two of the house special when he heard a familiar voice calling him. "Oh Damn!" he said in a hushed tone. "What's wrong?" Dallon asked, wondering why Derek was getting apprehensive. "It's my cousin's friend, she caught me!" he exclaimed in a whispered tone. Sure enough, a nicely dressed female Gardevoir walked in. When she noticed Derek, her eyes widened and she wore an expression of shock on her face. "H-Hey Eva!" Derek said nervously, "What brings you here!?" Dallon looked at Eva, then looked at Derek, then back at Eva, and whispered to Derek in a teasing tone, "You know, if you said she was _your_ friend instead of your cousin's, I wouldn't have believed you!" Derek gave Dallon a dirty look and turned back to Eva just as the bartender came back. Eva knew the bartender was getting suspicious, and for good reason, because nobody else seemed to notice that Derek was underage! "I'm gonna need to see some ID" he said to Derek. Derek produced an ID, but the bartender looked at it, and then tore it in half. "You're underage aren't you?" he said to Derek. Derek didn't even answer, instead opting to jump up, throw his drink at the bartender's face, and run! "Let's get out of here Eva!" Derek yelled, grabbing her hand and dragging her out. They were almost out when the bouncer, a Machamp, blocked their exit. "Eva, teleport us out, _now_!" he yelled in panic. "I can't" she replied, "My teleportation ability is limited to visual range, I can't see behind him…" Derek was dumbstruck; he had never planned on getting caught, and he knew that he had made a huge mistake. As the Machamp advanced, Dallon appeared in between them, even larger and more imposing than the bouncer. "You know what I find helps to get your friend sober?" Dallon asked the Machamp before slamming him flying onto the street with a Shadow Punch. "You get in front of him and let him have it" he said, before turning to Derek. He smirked, held out his hand, and said, "You owe me for that. Five grand should cover the cost." Derek was now furious that Dallon was extorting him of his cash, but was far more afraid of Dallon's Shadow Punch, and grudgingly gave Dallon his money back. "Thank you, have a nice day" Dallon said before he vanished to who knows where.

On the road just past Station 3, Derek and Eva were running. "That Machamp will chase us all the way to the Barrier Range!" he exclaimed, "We'll have to get to the other side! Eva couldn't help but lose her temper over Derek's last comment. "And how do you suppose we do that!?" she asked angrily. "Easy" Derek replied as he went over to a tree and from it pulled out a large bag. "This bag is used to run mail to Station 2" he said, "A Dragonite carries it there over the mountains. We get in the bag and once we're at altitude, you peak your head out and teleport us to the other side of the range once it comes into view." Eva had to hand it to Derek; he could come up with the most scatter-brained ideas at the damnedest times, even if he lacks foresight. "That has to be the _stupidest_ idea you've come up with to date!" she yelled angrily, but then she relented, "But it beats getting eviscerated by an angry Machamp, so this'll have to do."Eva went over to the bag and got in, followed by Derek. "Watch your hands!" she yelled at Derek when one of his back-hand spikes jabbed her side. They felt a lurch, which Eva knew meant the Dragonite had returned as was about to take off. Derek looked at Eva and grinned. "See, I told you this was a good idea!" he said, proud of himself for his quick thinking. Eva rolled her eyes at Derek. She knew that this may or may not work, but as long as they weren't being torn limb-from-limb, she couldn't complain. At altitude, Eva stuck out her head; she could see the other side and pulled her head back in. "Grab my hand Derek; It's time to bail out "she said, "if this fails, then you're responsible for it." She stuck out her head again after Derek grasped her hand and focused. In an instant, they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Raynar awoke on the ground, his head sore. "What happened…" he thought, rubbing his head as he slowly got to his feet. He looked around him for a sign of what could have happened and found nothing. "Hmm…what could've knocked me out" he thought, attempting to make sense of everything when he heard a faint sound coming from above. "Huh?" he thought as he looked up to see a small object in the sky above him, rapidly growing in size. He realized the sound was a scream, and he knew it was too late to get out from under whoever or whatever was falling on him. He yelled out as not one, but two objects fell on top of him and knocked him to the ground.

"Ow…" Derek groaned as he got up, "How'd we survive that?" Eva slowly raised her head, half smiling. "Knowing your track record, it'd take divine intervention to _not_ be killed by _your_ ideas", she said jokingly, "We landed on something fairly soft…" Raynar, hearing voices from whoever fell on him, was fairly irritated that he was being ignored. "Whoever's on top of me…" Raynar said in an irritated tone, "Get your ass out of my face!" Eva, hearing the voice and knowing it was directed towards her, got onto her feet. "Sorry about tha…" she started but was cut off when she saw who it was, "…Raynar?" Raynar's eyes shot open at the mention of his voice, he knew that there could only be one person here that would know him and have a feminine voice. "Eva? Is that you!?" he exclaimed as he slowly rose to his feet, his face showing disbelief that Eva was actually there. Eva ran to Raynar and embraced him. "It _is _you!" she exclaimed in rejoice, "It's been so long since I've seen you!" Raynar tensed up the affectionate gesture; something had changed about Eva, but he wasn't sure what it was. Derek finally realized what was happening and said, "I hate to interrupt the tender moment we've got here, but we're lost in the middle of nowhere!" Raynar looked at Derek behind Eva, realizing that Derek had never been to the Arcceonn region. Eva let him go and he walked over to Derek, grabbed his shoulders, and bitch-slapped across the face! "Ow!" Derek yelled, grabbing his mouth, which was numb from Raynar's blows, "mwut mwus mat more!" Raynar lost his temper with that, yelling "Derek, you idiot! You should know better than crossing the Barrier Range, it's _dangerous_ out here!" Derek decided to leave out the circumstances of why he did, as did Eva, but he decided instead to try to convince Raynar to let him come with. Five minutes later, it was a lost cause, until Eva decided to intervene. "We want to share your experience Raynar" she said in a smooth, almost hypnotic tone. Raynar was unable to think of any more reasons why not to let them join him. "Alright…" he said reluctantly, "But as soon as we hit Station 2, I'm dropping you off Derek. Understood?" Derek and Eva nodded in acknowledgement, and the trio continued along the road, deeper into the wilderness.

After an hour of silence, Derek decided to start a conversation. "Raynar, why don't you want me with you", he asked, "I mean I know it's dangerous, but why?" Raynar stopped, turned, and replied, "Because my father disappeared while exploring the region. I don't want either you or Eva suffering his fate" Derek was caught off guard; he had thought his cousin was invincible, that he felt no pain nor any emotion, but he now knew that Raynar was nothing like what he had thought. "Wow, that's harsh…" he said sympathetically, knowing that it was best if he didn't push the issue further. Raynar continued walking, him and Eva following him along some unseen road. Raynar stopped and gestured for Eva and Derek to follow suit. "We're not alone…" Raynar said, prompting Derek to scan for other sources of aura around them. Derek saw that they _were_ being followed, their stalker behind them. Derek turned around and looked behind him; it was an Absol, and Derek didn't like the posture it took upon being seen. Eva and Raynar turned as well, but Raynar got in front of Derek and entered a fighting stance. "What do you want this time!?" he yelled at the Absol. The Absol remained silent, then called up a trio of whirlwinds that surrounded him. By the time they dissipated, he was gone. Raynar was frustrated, as he had disappeared just as soon as he came, just like last time. Raynar turned back around and continued walking, Eva and Derek in trail.

A few minutes later they stumbled upon a lake. Raynar surveyed the shore and found an area fairly close to the water's edge that was flat. "We'll make camp here" he said as he grabbed some rocks and twigs to start a fire. Eva and Derek in turn found some other supplies to make a shelter, and in moments, the camp was set. Raynar, Derek and Eva sat by the fire, the setting sun causing the temperature to drop. "So you were ambushed by bandits, climbed over the range…barefoot, and got here in the space of three days?!" Derek exclaimed, "Damn, this isn't a race!" Raynar rolled his eyes and replied, "If my father could do it, so could I." Derek had heard stories of Aranam K'Tal, but he didn't know that the one Raynar referred to as his father was him, at least until now. "So, how was the academy?" Eva asked Raynar, wondering what he had done since she had last seen him. "Nothing really to mention" Raynar replied, "except that right afterwards, I came right back here." A cold wind blew through the campsite, blowing out the fire. Eva shivered, not being used to such cold temperatures. "I didn't know it got this cold out here" she thought, "If this keeps up, I'll freeze!" Suddenly she felt something warm wrap around her. Raynar had wrapped his arm around her to help keep her warm along with blocking the wind with his body, something that just a few years ago probably wouldn't have surprised Eva at all, but something felt different about it this time, and she didn't know what. "Is this better?" Raynar asked in a calm voice despite the cold. "Raynar, don't…you'll freeze…" Eva said worried, "You don't even have a shirt to keep you warm." Eva looked up at Raynar and saw him smile, a way of saying, "I'll be alright, I'm here for you." Eva smiled, then leaned against Raynar, and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.

Raynar was tense, a sign that he didn't expect what just happened. Derek chuckled and said "wish I had it that easy." Raynar looked at Derek with an annoyed expression. "What…No, it's nothing like that" he said hesitantly, "We've known each other for almost ten years now, that's all." Derek didn't believe it one bit, convinced that something else was happening here. "Sure, sure…" he said jokingly, "Don't lie, you like her, and I don't blame you, she's quite a looker!" Raynar was now even more annoyed that Derek would think that way. "Derek, I suggest you go to sleep before I put your lights out for you…" he threatened. Derek went right to sleep at that, trying not to annoy Raynar any further. Raynar looked at Eva, who was still asleep. He thought long and hard then said to himself, "Maybe there _is_ something more, only time will tell…" With that he rested his head on top of Eva's and closed his eyes, letting the sound of the rushing wind lull him to sleep.

16


	5. Chapter 4: Shifting Winds

Chapter 4: Shifting Winds

_Raynar has reunited with his friend Eva and his cousin Derek, with mixed results. Now he'll have to watch out for not just himself, but his companions, increasing the level of danger greatly yet also providing safety in numbers. What of the Absol that keeps shadowing them? He won't have time to investigate the matter, for a far greater threat than Raynar can comprehend looms just ahead; two warriors working for a mysterious entity and the trio are on a head on collision course, the result being a whole new dimension to Raynar's mission. What exactly is the effect? One cannot say, for as Raynar said, "Only time will tell…"_

Raynar awoke to see sunlight glowing down into his face. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked to his right expecting to see Eva next to him, but she wasn't there. "Uh Oh…" he thought as he jumped to his feet, frantically looking around. "Eva, where are you!" he shouted. "Have a nice sleep Raynar?" said Eva from behind him. Raynar turned behind him to see Eva leaning against a tree. "I was wondering when you'd wake up…" she said with a warm smile.

Raynar was fuming, he had been worried she had gotten hurt, but she was just behind him. He set his irritation aside and asked, "Where's Derek?" Eva responded, looking past Raynar, "He's over…" her eyes widen in shock when she sees that Derek wasn't there, "there…" Raynar turned around, then turned back to face Eva. "I just knew he would do this…" Raynar said, "C'mon let's go find him before he gets himself hurt." Raynar turned and walked deeper into the forest, Eva following beside him.

* * *

After walking around for about an hour, Raynar finally sensed Derek's aura close by. "I sense him!" Raynar said to Eva, "This way!" They ran through the trees towards where Derek was and eventually saw Derek standing behind a tree. "Derek!" Raynar exclaimed as he and Eva rushed towards his cousin, but before he could say anything more, Derek cut shushed him. "Keep it down!" he whispered, "Don't let them hear you!" Raynar was puzzled, what could scare Derek so badly? "Who?" Raynar asked. He peeked his head out and Derek pointed out in front of him. "Them!" he replied in a whisper. Raynar looked out to see a Scyther and Kabutops, both wearing strange clothing and equipment.

"You sure he went this way Cade?" the Kabutops said, addressing the Scyther. "I'm certain Darman, he may be fast but he couldn't have gotten far" Cade replied. Darman sighed, and then a loud burst of static came from the headset he was wearing, apparently a radio. Raynar couldn't make out what the voice said on the radio, but he could what Darman said. "Delta 4 reporting sir…yes sir…negative, infiltrator is still unaccounted for, but we are getting closer as we speak…yes sir, I understand, he is not to escape alive…very well, Delta 4 out!" Darman said, talking into the radio. He turned to Cade and nodded solemnly when he froze for a second. His eye turned towards Raynar's hiding spot and he turned towards the trio. "Bingo!" he yelled, "Cade, target confirmed!" Cade turned and advanced with Darman towards Raynar and his companions.

Raynar knew that they had been caught, as did Eva and Derek. They jumped out of the bushes, Derek and Eva preparing to run, but Raynar confronted Cade and Darman. The two assailants stopped in their tracks. "He's got reinforcements, Darman, call for backup!" Cade yelled, but before Darman could even touch the headset, Raynar had launched an Aura Sphere that shattered the headset, knocking Darman off balance. Cade turned to face Raynar, as did Darman. "You'll pay for interfering in our operations!" Cade shouted angrily. Upon hearing this, Eva and Derek prepared to fight as well, ready to support Raynar in the brawl. "No, I deal with these ones myself!" Raynar yelled, charging an Aura Sphere. Darman took the initiative and used Aqua Jet to strike the first blow. Raynar sees this and stops charging his attack so he could dodge, but doesn't see Cade rush in from behind. Cade attacks Raynar with X-Scissor, landing a critical hit and causing severe damage. Raynar was injured but far from finished, and he shrugged off the blow before retaliating with Cross Chop. Cade blocks Raynar's attack and counterstrikes with Air Slash, which Darman follows up with Aerial Ace. Raynar is knocked onto his back by the attacks, unable to move.

"That one's finished…" said Cade, "Go after the Gardevoir next!" Raynar was overcome by his rage towards Cade and Darman, so much so that he sprang to his feet. "I would die before I allow you anywhere _near_ her!" he shouted and charged right at Cade and Darman, yelling like a berserker. Just before collision, Cade spun around and brought his blade across Raynar's chest. Raynar yelled out in pain and fell to his knees, grasping at his wound. "Let's finish the others, he's done for…" Cade said, and he and Darman began to advance on Eva. Eva looked at the attackers then at Raynar. Raynar's eyes, which were normally bright red, were now glowing a silvery white and his aura, usually blue, had also turned silver. He rose to his feet and spoke, but to Eva and Derek's horror, the voice the heard was not Raynar's, but rather a cold and metallic voice that neither recognized. "Do not advance any further" Raynar shouted, "or suffer the consequences!" Cade laughed in response and replied as he turned to face Raynar, "Hah! We've already seen that you're not…" he was cut off as he turned to see Raynar, "uh…Darman, you'd wanna see this!" Darman turned to see Raynar, "What's this!?" Raynar narrowed his eyes at them, as if locking them in as targets. "_Now_ the battle has begun!" he yelled as he rushed at them with Extremespeed. Darman tried to counter but found that Raynar was too fast and was struck. Cade snuck up behind Raynar and tried to bring a Slash attack down on his head, but Raynar spun around and caught Cade's blade! "Huh!?" Cade shouted in surprise, just before Raynar launched a Blaze Kick right into his head. He screamed in pain and staggered back, trying to shake off the blow. "There _must_ be some mistake!" he shouted out, "He just _can't_ be this powerful!" Raynar began charging an Aura Sphere. "My resolve is stronger than steel…" Raynar replied, "and as long I draw breath, I will never falter!" Raynar unleashed the Aura Sphere, slamming it into Darman and knocking him out. Cade had recovered by now and ran over to Darman, flinging his comrade onto his shoulders. "Commander, this is Delta 3, the mission has failed, and I'm retreating with one casualty!" he shouted into his headset as he flew off. Raynar stood watching them, then his power began to fade, and he fell unconscious.

* * *

Raynar felt Eva nudge his shoulders. "Raynar, wake up!" she said in a worried tone. His eyes opened to see Eva and Derek staring down at him. "Damn Raynar, you're a mess!" Derek exclaimed, "How'd you even survive!?" Raynar was confused; all he remembered was being slashed by Cade. "What?" he asked, not sure what Derek meant. "Yeah, we were about to be beaten up, but you started glowing all silver, then you sent them packing without any effort!" Derek exclaimed, "that was _awesome_!" Raynar was even more confused now, then he remembered something. "Eva, did the seven red dots on the sash I'm wearing glow?" Eva had easily seen that they indeed _did_ glow. "Yes they did…" Eva replied, "Why do you ask?" Raynar didn't know what to say, and then he decided to tell them his story.

"So let me get this straight…" said Derek, "You were behind, so you decided to climb Mount Resolve…" Raynar replied "Yes." Derek paused then continued, "you fought a giant Metagross in a cave before climbing to the summit, where you heard an odd voice…" Raynar knew Derek understood now and said, "Yes." Derek had now gotten to the part that he would at one time rejected outright as a lie but now believed, "then you battled Registeel, you _won_, and you got this sash which you felt had some power…is that all?" Raynar had finally gotten his point across. "You hit the nail on the head Derek", he said, "I sensed a great power within it, as it had an aura of its own…I think that I had tapped into that power, albeit temporarily." Derek thunderstruck at the possibility of an ancient relic containing _any_ sort of power, but he also knew better than to think Raynar would lie to them. Eva, on the other hand, was just glad he was alive and she broke down in tears. "I thought I'd lost you!" she said to Raynar, embracing him. Raynar, although caught off guard, managed to reply, "Eva…they couldn't have killed me if they tried…and the sash, although dangerous to use, isn't lethal…come now, we must keep going, more could show up soon…" With that, Eva let go of Raynar and stood up along with Derek. Raynar rose to his feet and they proceeded quickly, but cautiously, deeper into the woods…


	6. Chapter 5: Inner Strength

Chapter 5: Inner Strength

_As Raynar, Eva, and Derek proceed deeper into the wilderness, the risk of disaster increases exponentially. In the particular area of the forest they are about to enter, danger could be in every tree, bush, or body of water, something that the trio must all be mindful of, for assailants Cade and Darman are not far behind. Despite this however, there is a possibly greater danger up ahead, but is it really a threat? One can only trust their feelings and take a leap of faith…_

As the trio continues through the forest, they constantly watch the surrounding areas for threats, wary of an attack. They were getting to think that they weren't being followed when Raynar shouted, "Hey! Come over here!" Eva and Derek run to Raynar, who points at a stone slab by the side of the road with strange writing inscribed on it. "What language is this?" Eva asked, "I've never seen anything like this…" Raynar looked at it for a few seconds before identifying the language. "It's Unown" he said, "one of the oldest known written languages, but I've never seen a specimen so well preserved!" Derek didn't know how old it was nor did he care; "Just tell us what it means…" he said, obviously annoyed. Raynar looked at it some more, then replied, "I've got it; it says 'Trespassers beware, should thee provoke thy guardian of the Hallowed Forest…' It's a warning." Derek was skeptical about it, but then again he couldn't read Unown, but Eva was now more worried than ever. "Let's go. Those assassins probably aren't far behind." Raynar said, determined to distance himself and ultimately throw off any possible pursuers. "Hold up Raynar…" Eva said nervously, "we don't know what's in there, are you sure we should go in there?" Raynar could understand that she was afraid of the warning, but they had no choice. "No, I'm not…" he lamented, "but we don't have a choice, we must keep moving." With that, there was no further discussion, and the trio hurriedly but cautiously entered the Hallowed Forest.

* * *

The first hour two hours of walking through the Hallowed Forest proved uneventful, yet there was still a sense of foreboding in the air. "This place is creepy…" Eva whispered. Raynar didn't need Eva to tell him that, but he needed Eva and Derek to remain calm in order to make it through. "Let's stop here to reassess our situation" Raynar said, thinking a rest would do them good, but when he turned to face Eva, he saw that a Spinarak had gotten the idea of resting on her head. "Eva, don't move…" Raynar said. Eva stopped, but then she glanced up and saw the Spinarak. "Eeeeeeek!!!" she screamed and leaped up, Raynar catching her on the way down. "Oh, I should've remembered you were afraid of bugs!" Raynar mused jokingly. "W-where did it go?" Eva said, shivering from the shock. "It's alright, the Spinarak ran off" Derek replied, also amused but a little shocked about Eva's reaction, then he realized Raynar had caught her, as did Eva. Eva felt a little awkward about that; "Uh…Raynar…could you put me down now?" she asked, still shivering. "Oh, sorry", Raynar replied sheepishly as he put her back down on her feet. "Wow, what a laugh!" Derek exclaimed, finally failing to control his amusement at Eva's expense. As Derek was laughing though, Eva's expression changed from embarrassment to anger, and she launched a Fire Punch right into his face! "Ahhh!" Derek yelled as he was knocked off his feet by Eva's blow. Raynar tapped Eva's shoulder as a way of saying, "Let's go already!" Derek got up and he and Eva continue to follow Raynar through the Hallowed Woods.

* * *

After another 15 minutes Raynar stopped and gestured for the three of them to get into the bushes. Knowing it could only mean danger, they obeyed without question. About where they were just standing, a Razor Wind attack slammed into the ground, creating a smoking crater. A very familiar-looking Weavile and an equally familiar Hitmontop fall feet first on the ground next to the crater. "It's those bandits, John and Westley!" Raynar thought, remembering their names without too much effort. "We can't hold them off much long John, we need to get outa here!" yelled Westley, the Hitmontop. "Hang on Westley, I'm thinking of something…" his mind drifts to the bushes, "quick, in there!" Raynar sees them coming and tries to get out of the way, but John and Westley ran into the trio, knocking all five of them out of the bushes in a jumbled heap.

Cade stared down at his handiwork below, thinking he made quick work of those bandits, when he saw the not only the bandits, but the other three intruders! "Hmm!? It's them, nows our chance…" he thought as he pressed the comm on his headset, "Delta 3 to Delta 4, I've found both the primary and secondary targets, let's finish 'em off!" Cade lands next to his targets as Darman arrives; "Excellent work Cade" he said, "at this rate, we may make squad leader!" Raynar got up from the top of the heap and was face-to-face with Cade. "Oh no…not you again…" he thought to himself as he and Cade simply stared into each other's eyes. Raynar however, was not staring for the sake of staring; he was focusing, so as to unleash a devastating attack to the face, which he was now ready to use. "Game, set, match…" he said softly as he raised his right fist, now nearly bursting with stored Aura. _**"FOCUS PUNCH!!!"**_ he yelled as he unleashed the attack, slamming Cade over twenty feet in the air then onto the ground; Cade had no idea what had hit him, as he was now unconscious.

Darman stared at his fallen comrade, and then looked at Raynar with a look of a frenzied rage ready to be released. Darman let out a banshee howl as he charged at Raynar, scythes raised high over his head. Raynar spun out of the way then launched a spinning back kick into Darman's side, but as Kabutops are known for their armored carapace, it staggered him but hardly injured him; that stagger though, was all Raynar needed to get into his guard and strike with Close Combat. Darman screamed in pain as a blow struck the back of his neck, one of the few unarmored areas of his body. Darman doubled over on his hands and knees, and then stared up as Raynar approached him. Raynar only touched his hand to his opponent's head and loosed an aura pulse, which overloaded his brain and knocked him unconscious. Raynar stood over Darman's unconscious body when John spoke up; "Wow, thanks…" he said. Raynar turned around to face John and said, "Get lost before the same happens to you…" John chuckled at Raynar's threat, knowing that Raynar was most likely bluffing, but he also knew that he was indebted to Raynar. "Alright, fine" he said with a sigh, "We'll leave you, the doppelganger and the lass in peace, but just this once. Next time we meet, it's back to our old ways…" Raynar had to smirk at John calling his cousin his doppelganger. "Let's get out here Westley, we got what we came for" John said, but before he and Westley could leave, Raynar stopped them. "What did you come for?" he asked, eyeing them suspiciously. "This" John replied, holding up a chunk of what appears to be diamond, "It's called Adamantite, the only known substance in the world that is completely indestructible, and it sells for over nine thousand poké per gram. Farewell." As John and Westley left Raynar and company behind, John thought about what just happened, "he and I are more alike than I had ever thought possible, perhaps that's why I feel such respect for him…"

* * *

Raynar, Eva and Derek continued on for another two hours before something stopped them. They had reached a clearing, in its center, a gigantic tree, and beneath that was what appeared to be a shrine. They all stood in awe of what was before them, but then Raynar was gripped by an unshakeable feeling that they were being watched. Raynar stepped forward into the clearing to better survey the area when suddenly, something jumped at Raynar from the tree and landed right in front of him before hitting him with a Slash. Raynar was knocked back, but got to his feet and looked forward to identify the attacker. It was a Sceptile, its fore-arm blades glowing and ready to fight. "You are not welcome here, turn back!" he said. Raynar was annoyed that not only was he attacked, he was told to leave; "And you are?" he asked sarcastically. The Sceptile stepped forward and replied, "I am the Guardian of the Hallowed Forest, now leave this place or suffer the consequences!" The words struck home, as Raynar knew that the Guardian would be a veteran of countless fights, yet oddly enough, he not only wasn't afraid, he found himself _wanting_ to prove himself stronger than the Guardian. "Not happening!" Raynar replied angrily. "You _seriously_ believe that you could best me? Very well, I shall test you…" the Guardian said, "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Raynar and the Guardian lunged at each other, deflecting each other's initial attacks. Raynar converts his forward momentum into torque, spinning himself around and bringing his Blaze Kick to bear down on the Guardian's flank. He was blown to the left into a tree, clearly taking severe injury, but he gets back up as if unharmed and counters with Energy Ball. Raynar launches his Aura Sphere at the energy ball, overpowering it and sending the combined power of both attacks at the Guardian! He screamed in pain as it hit him and slammed him into the shrine, shattering the monument. Raynar walked over to the Guardian and looked at him on the ground. "Game…over." Raynar said contemptuously. The Guardian looked at him and opened his mouth to speak, but instead of the rough voice of the guardian speaking, it was replaced by a much smoother, feminine voice, "You have failed my test."

Raynar was taken aback by this, not quite knowing what to make of it when as if to confuse him further, the Guardian flashed and all but disappeared. "Wha…!? How…Where's the Guardian!?" Raynar shouted in surprise. "Silly fool, that wasn't the Guardian…" said the same voice that spoke before the Guardian disappeared. It came from behind Raynar, so he turned around to see a small, green, winged fairy-like pokémon floating in front of him; "I am", the mystery pokémon said. Raynar was more shocked by the size of the Guardian than its true identity but he managed to say, "Who are you?" The pokémon chuckled and responded, "My name is Celebi, and I am the true Guardian of the Hallowed Forest." Raynar was now completely lost as to what was going on. "Wait a minute!?" he exclaimed, "then what about that Sceptile!?" Celebi knew that Raynar didn't understand what the point of the test was and so replied, "An illusion, nothing more…but you have indeed failed my test."

Raynar was now thoroughly frustrated. "What, to uncover the illusion?" he asked, seeking the truth but finding none. "No" Celebi replied, "the test was to see whether you could solve a dispute _without_ the use of force; I was testing your _inner_ strength." Raynar had an expression on his face that told Celebi that she had lost him. "You, come here" Celebi said, pointing to Eva. Eva walked forward and asked, "Yes?" Celebi held out something to Eva; a pendant with what appeared to be a flower on the end of the chain. "Take it, you'll _need_ it to take care of _him_…" she muttered to Eva, gesturing to Raynar. Eva was puzzled; "Why?" she asked. Celebi just smiled and said, "You'll know in time, even though I know already, but I mustn't ruin the surprise!" Eva, Raynar and Derek just stared at Celebi blankly in response. "Okay so that was a little clichéd" Celebi said, "but I cannot tell you anymore, for I am needed elsewhere. Farewell!" With that, Celebi disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

As the trio left the Hallowed Forest, Raynar was lost in thought. "Inner Strength…" he thought, "what could it mean?" He knew that one day he would need to know the answer, but he looked ahead to see he was falling behind. "Damn!" he thought as he ran to catch up with Eva and Derek up ahead. "I may not know the answer now…" he thought, "but perhaps I will someday…" He ran some more until he caught up; "If I dwell on the past it'll be even _harder_ for me to fall asleep than it already is…" he thought. Although his question about the significance of 'inner' strength remained unanswered, Raynar knew that there was the possibility that the answer lay just over the horizon…


	7. Chapter 6: Icy Calm

Chapter 6: Icy Calm

_ As Raynar and his companions arrive at the Southwestern Bay, they have the intent of getting some rest and relaxation, but a chance encounter with a dangerous foe allowed Eva to unlock the secret of Celebi's pendant. Little do they know, however, that Raynar would also discover another relic, and the guardian has heard of Registeel's defeat as his hands, and its out for revenge…_

"We're finally out of that Arceus damned forest!" Derek shouted excitedly, "I've had enough with not being able to see anybody else!" Eva and Raynar rolled their eyes at Derek. It was true that they had been in the same forest for quite some time now, and it was a relief to see something other than an endless field of green after all that. Derek ran out to the bay when he tripped, his foot caught in a snare! "HELP!!!" he yelled.

Raynar and Eva ran over to help Derek, but when they arrived, they realized it was a trick. Cade and Darman leapt out from the sand, landing on either side of Raynar and Eva. "You can't escape from _us_!" Cade shouted, "You'll pay for humiliating us in the Hallowed Forest!" Raynar was not in the mood for another fight and he was gonna make that clear, but an unseen foe struck the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. Eva turned to see who had knocked him out and saw a Gliscor that had obviously been through more than a few fights, evident by the eye he had covered by a patch.

"Raynar!" Eva yelled, and she tried to run over to him and check his condition, but the Gliscor suddenly turned around to become face-to-face with Eva. "Well what have we here?" he said in a gruff voice, smiling to reveal razor-sharp fangs. "Don't touch him!" Eva yelled at him in total disregard of her own safety. The Gliscor was unmoved by her display of defiance. "Don't worry" he said in a cool, yet ominous tone, "I'll make sure it's swift and painless." Eva was horrified; those two creeps had hired a trained assassin! As if to address her concern, the Gliscor said, "Nothing personal, it's just business."

Eva finally let her restraint fade, giving in to pure rage. "You will NOT touch him!" she yelled loud enough for the three assailants to turn and stare in her direction. Eva unleashed Magical Leaf upon the Gliscor, but he cut them apart like tissue paper. "C'mon…" he said condescendingly, "tell me you can put up a better fight than that!" Eva launched another volley, but midway through their flight, both the projectiles and the pendant Celebi had given her started glowing brightly. The Gliscor tried to slash the leaves again, but the leaves couldn't be cut; to make matters worse, they _exploded_ upon impact! The Gliscor was hurled to the ground by the attack. "What!?" he exclaimed, wincing out of pain. Eva fired yet another salvo, striking both Cade and Darman and knocking them out, leaving the assassin alone. "You will NOT touch him!" Eva repeated with greater force than before. The Gliscor chuckled a little bit. "Dear child…" he said, "Haven't you heard of Razon the Dagger!?" Eva froze up, paralyzed with fear. Razon the Dagger was the most notorious assassin in the entire world, and he had _never_ failed his clients once, ever. Eva knew he was dangerous to mess with, especially when he was right in front of you, which was indeed the case this time. "Yes I have…" she said timidly. Eva fought to shake off her fear. "I won't give in!" she thought, the pendant starting to glow again as she completed her sentence, "…but you are not invincible, you _can_ be beat!" Eva started glowing herself at this point, causing Razon to shield his one good eye to keep from being blinded. When the light faded, Eva's clothing had completely changed to something along the same lines of what she usually wore, but lighter and slightly more revealing; it had the appearance of overlapping leaves, forming something like plate armor. Razon got back up, in awe of both her courage _and_ the change in appearance. "_This_ is new…" he thought as he rose back up and became airborne. "You've got guts kid…" he said, "but what you lack is brains, and those are what keep you out of trouble." Eva had heard enough lecturing from the arrogant killer and used the pendant to form a pair of forearm greaves with short leaf blades extending forward about eighteen inches from a point above her wrist. "Shut up!" she yelled as she charged at Razon. Razon followed suit, and the two combatants, one a trained killer, the other a loyal friend, faced each other in combat.

Razon attacked first, using Cross Poison in an attempt to finish Eva in one blow, but Eva had anticipated this move. She ducked down, continuing to move under him as she brought attacked his underside and tail with Leaf Blade. Razon howled in pain, clearly suffering from a critical hit. Razon fumed, how dare she try to defy to him, the world's best assassin! Razon lunged at Eva with a vengeance, aiming to strike with X-Scissor, but Eva was already on the move again. Eva cart wheeled out of Razon's flight path, ending up behind her opponent. "Take this bastard!" she yelled, firing an Energy Ball attack at her foe. Razon was hit even harder by this attack, but nevertheless remained in the fight. Razon struck out again with Cross Poison, only to be hit again by Leaf Blade, knocking him to the ground. "What!?" he thought, "There must be some mistake, this is _impossible_, I can't win!" Darman and Cade had started to recover and were ready to join the fight when Razon blocked them. "No, we can't win, we need to fall back and regroup!" Razon shouted. Cade and Darman stared at each other in disbelief; the world's greatest assassin has _failed_! In a panic, Cade and Darman retread hurriedly back to the East with Razon close behind. Eva reverted back to her normal self, cut Derek out of the snare and went to tend to Raynar.

* * *

Raynar slowly opened his eyes to see Eva leaning over him. "Ow…" he moaned, slowly sitting up, "What just happened?" Eva didn't say anything, but didn't have to as Derek was already answering for her. "It was amazing!" Derek exclaimed, "Those goons showed up with Razon the Dagger, you were out but Eva fought back. She was wearing some sort of leaf armor and it allowed her to beat all _three_ of them single-handedly!!!" Raynar bolted upright, he had heard of Razon the Dagger and knew that He, Eva, and Derek were lucky to survive an encounter with him, but he was also puzzled about this armor Derek described. "It was the pendant Celebi gave me…" she said, "It's like your Steel Sash; it has a power of its own, in this case that of plants." Raynar was still dumbstruck that Eva had survived the encounter but was now afraid for her safety. "Eva, promise me that if we see him again, that you won't fight him…" Raynar said, "That should he show up, you will run and save yourself." Eva wanted to make the promise but found that she couldn't, instead deciding to not say anything. Raynar understood why she didn't respond, but also knew that she knew of the risk to herself.

After the tension abated, Derek went back to the water. "C'mon you two!" he yelled, "The water's great!" Eva decided it couldn't hurt, but Raynar had other ideas. "No thanks Derek…" Raynar replied, "I'm just fine on shore." Eva turned to Raynar in surprise, wondering why he would turn him down. "Why not Raynar?" Eva asked, trying to think of a reason why. Raynar blushed slightly at the question and knew he couldn't answer truthfully without embarrassing himself. "Uh…I…just don't like water…" Raynar replied less than truthfully. Then Eva immediately knew the reason and smiled knowingly. "You can't swim, can you?" Eva replied, remembering that Raynar never swam with her in the past either. Raynar was shocked that Eva had guessed correctly, he had never swam in his life. "W-what!?" Raynar replied; Raynar knew now that he was caught, and that he couldn't talk his way out of this one. Defeated, Raynar finally said, "Yes…I can't swim to save my life…" Eva just chuckled and replied, "Well, I'll teach you, c'mon!" Eva grabbed Raynar's hand but Raynar had one last thing he could say to get out of it. "But that's your only set of clothes" Raynar said, "You don't have a bathing suit!" Eva paused to think. Raynar was right, she didn't have any other clothes, but Eva then thought of a rather novel idea. Eva used the floral pendant, Raynar shielding his eyes from the glare. When Raynar looked again, Eva had created a bathing suit out of leaves! Raynar was not ready for it and just stared at Eva. Eva noticed Raynar's expression and asked, "Raynar, you okay?" Raynar snapped out of his daze. "Yeah, I'm fine…I just…" Raynar replied before promptly passing out again out of shock! Eva just stared at Raynar and sighed. "Sometimes I just don't get him…" She thought to herself.

* * *

After much struggling and an hour's time, Eva finally succeeded in teaching Raynar how to swim. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Eva said. Raynar had to admit, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but it was probably from having Eva teach him, as he at least trusted her. "No, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be…" Raynar replied when he saw something he didn't notice before: a sea cave not far down the beach, "Eva, look behind you." Eva turned to see the sea cave; the entrance was massive, and it had an odd feeling to it, as if it was calling her in. Derek had seen it too and was already swimming in. "Derek! Wait up, don't go in alone!" Raynar yelled, starting after him with Eva close behind.

They swam into it and eventually ran into a wall. "Hmm…" Derek replied, "A dead end…" Raynar didn't think so; He released an aura pulse into his surroundings to check for a way around and found it: an underwater passage under the wall. "Wait here…" Raynar told Eva and Derek before diving down to the passage. He released another Aura Pulse to check the distance and was astonished by the result; the passage extended ahead of him for a half mile forward and down before even changing direction, far too long to go without air. Raynar returned to the surface to give the others the information he found, "There's a tunnel down there" he said, "But it's a half a mile long, slanting down before going back up; we won't be able to go that far on just one breath, but there are no air pockets down there." Derek was lost in thought over this information, but Eva already had a solution. The pendant glowed and Eva held out a hand, revealing what appear to be closed-circuit rebreathers made of plants. Raynar took one in his hand and tried it out. "Nice going Eva!" he said, "What inspired this!?" Eva had thought of the way the air was so pure in the hallowed forest, but she explained the logic instead; "Plants produce oxygen through using carbon dioxide" she replied, "that principle will allow these rebreathers to recycle our exhaled breath and reuse it." Derek took his and looked it over; "Why didn't I think of that" he thought. They all put their rebreathers in and ensured they worked. "We'll communicate telepathically" Raynar said via the said method, "I'll lead the way, let's go." They all took a single breath of air and dove down into the water.

* * *

The swim through the tunnel proved to be long and tiring, as Raynar had to keep encouraging the others, who kept falling behind. "We don't have far to go, now we just have to go up" Raynar said to Eva and Derek. He looked up and saw an eerie light coming from above. "The surface!" he thought as he swam upwards. Raynar broke the surface and looked around him, astonished at the sight; Eva and Derek came up soon after and were equally in awe of what they saw. They were inside another cavern, filled with blue-white crystals. Raynar, Eva and Derek climbed out of the water and into the cavern, Eva reverting to normal. "What is this place?" Derek thought aloud as he reached out and touched a crystal; he suddenly recoiled away from it. "The crystals!" he exclaimed, "they're cold to the touch!" Raynar felt one himself and was also surprised at how it felt; it was as cold as ice, and come to think of it, the very air here had a certain chill to it. Raynar had no idea what to make of it, what was going on?

"Raynar, over here!" Derek shouted excitedly. Raynar went over to where Derek and Eva stood and saw a wall with Unown on it. "More Unown…" Raynar said as he began to translate. After a minute or so, Raynar finally translated it. "I got it" he said, "Thee who seeks knowledge, thy quest is noble as thou hast proven thyself to be resolute as the strongest armor. However, resolve shalt not lead to success when alone, for control is needed. Make thyself cold and unfeeling like glacial ice, and thou shalt prevail…" Raynar finished reading the writing and realized what it must be: an ancient proverb, but what would it be doing in a sealed cavern he could not fathom. "This is very out of place in this cavern…" he said, "We'll have to investigate, let's go deeper into the cavern…" Eva and Derek exchanged worried glances, also knowing that something like this was out of place in a cave with the only entrance and exit both being underwater, which meant it was obviously meant to never be disturbed. Nevertheless, Raynar was determined to discover its meaning and so the trio travelled deeper into the cavern.

As the group traveled deeper into the cave, more crystals could be seen and the air seemed to get colder and colder until it was almost unbearable when they finally reached a dead end. There was a door which had a marking of seven dots arranged in the shape of a cross, a sign. Raynar looked at the sign and knew something was up ahead, as he remembered the hexagonal seven-dot marking upon the Steel Sash. "Be on your guard…" Raynar said to the others as he stepped towards the door. The door suddenly opened, revealing a chamber completely covered in crystals, a large statue towards the back. Raynar, Eva and Derek slowly entered the chamber and walked towards the statue. When they were halfway, the door shut and a frigid gust of wind blew through the chamber. "A trap!" Raynar exclaimed as he dodged the wind, but Eva and Derek were not fast enough, and were frozen solid, "No!!!" Raynar got up and was about to try to break them out when he heard a voice that was similar to the one at Mount Resolve. "Control yourself…" the voice said, "Your emotions can give you strength but they can also be your undoing Learn to make sacrifices, control your feelings, and you shall prevail…" Raynar had no idea what the voice meant but didn't have time, as he turned around and saw what appeared to be a large crystal in front of the statue…until it moved, seven dots in a cross shape glowing bright yellow. "It's Regice!" Raynar exclaimed, "Just when I thought today I could afford some rest and relaxation…" Regice started towards Raynar, not the lumbering juggernaut Registeel was, but rather gliding smoothly upon the crystalline floor, swiftly closing the gap.

Raynar tried to dodge it but realized that the floor was too slippery for him to move effectively. Raynar braced himself as Regice slammed him with Hammer Arm. Raynar was slammed backwards into a wall, Regice already moving to attack again. Raynar got back up and struck back with a vengeance, but couldn't move on the slippery floor, and so got hit by yet another Hammer Arm. Raynar yelled out in pain from the blow and tried to get up, but it proved difficult. Regice hit Raynar again and again, beating him senseless. Frustrated beyond anger, Raynar struck out at Regice with all his fury, but his attack missed. As if in retaliation for his outburst, Regice hit Raynar with Superpower, knocking him against the statue and onto his knees.

Raynar winced in pain form the hits inflicted by Regice. "I don't understand it…" he thought, "How come I can't strike back!?" Raynar looked out and saw not only Regice waiting for him, but the Absol next to him, staring at him. Raynar was astonished that the Absol _still_ followed him, even here. "What do you want from me?" Raynar asked in frustration, angry over his being humiliated by Regice. Then the Absol did something Raynar didn't expect, he spoke. "Remember the voice, what did it say?" he said in a voice colder, it seemed, even than Regice. "Wha-?" Raynar said when he realized what the Absol was implying. He was implying that he had been fighting Regice the wrong way by getting frustrated; he needed to remain calm and in control, letting his aura flow through him naturally rather than forcing it through. Raynar turned away and slowly rose to his feet, making sure to calm himself, and he found that he could get traction now! Regice hurtled at him, ready to strike again with Superpower. Raynar used Extremespeed, zipping past Regice faster than it could turn; it stopped and turned around. Raynar accelerated to full speed and ran up the wall, using the momentum built up to run on the ceiling before jumping off and launching an aerial Blaze Kick down at Regice. Regice was hit hard but wasn't even close to being down. Then Regice switched tactics, launching an Ice Beam at Raynar from long range. Raynar dashed across the floor, always just a step ahead of Regice but remaining calm through it all. He turned back into Regice and aimed for the center of the torso with his fist, despite the ice starting to build up on his arm. A few seconds later, impact. Raynar dashed past Regice while striking it with Focus Punch. Regice staggered and fell forward before disappearing. Raynar walked over to where Regice was and found a pendant with an ice crystal on it. It seemed to resonate with his aura and he hung it around his neck. Raynar went back to Eva and Derek, melting the ice with his aura. Eva and Derek were cold, but alright, but when Raynar turned back to the statue, the Absol was already gone, vanished into thin air.

* * *

Raynar, Eva and Derek were back on the beach, discussing what just happened. "Regice!?" Derek exclaimed, "Dammit, how come _you_ get all the fun!?" Raynar shrugged, not knowing what to say, but Eva had a guess. "Maybe…" Eva said, "It's some sort of prophecy, who knows?" Raynar thought about that theory; It was difficult to believe, but all the events of his journey so far point to some sort of predestined course, a prophecy. He wasn't sure what to believe, but he learned something from his battle with Regice: one must be as calm as glacial ice…


	8. Chapter 7: Cyclone

Chapter 7: Cyclone

_As Raynar continues with his quest for answers, he and his companions have discovered many important details, including the possibility of someone intending for them to follow this particular course in the form of a prophecy. However, what of Cade and Darman? What is this mysterious group they work for, and what are their motives? The trio may not have long to find out, as they discover this enemy, and that they pose a far greater threat than originally thought…_

"I wonder what the ice crystal might be for…" Raynar said, trying to start a conversation. It had been two days since Raynar obtained the relic during a battle with Regice in a hidden ice cave, but he nevertheless walked out with more questions than answers, a trend that has become frustrating clear as he and his companions continued on their journey. "Who knows, maybe it does something like Eva's pendant…" Derek replied, "Maybe it gives you a type of ice armor…" Raynar had considered that possibility and found it likely, but not certain, and thus the trio's traveling again became deadlocked in silence.

"Hey guys, look!" Eva exclaimed, pointing ahead. Raynar came up and looked ahead; what he saw was a light blue object lying on the beach. "A Tentacool probably washed up, let's throw it back…" he said, moving closer to the object. However when Raynar got within ten feet, he realized it was _not_ a Tentacool; he ran the rest of the way and slowly reached down and picked it up. It definitely wasn't a Tentacool, as what appeared to be tentacles were on its head, resembling antennae more than anything else; it also had arms and short legs, but most importantly, a face. "Hey! Come here!" Raynar exclaimed, waving the others over. When Eva and Derek saw it, they realized it wasn't like anything they had seen before. "What _is_ it?" Derek asked, in wonder of how strange it appeared. Eva didn't have the faintest idea, but Raynar had a guess. "Well…" Raynar replied, "Assuming I paid attention at the academy, this is the pokemon Manaphy." Derek just stared at it, not knowing what to make of it, neither did Eva, but neither knew what to say either.

Suddenly, Manaphy opened his eyes and shifted his gaze back and forth between Raynar, Eva, and Derek. "Who are you?" he asked weakly, "Where am I?" Raynar had seen a Manaphy in a photograph, but never in real life, and he had no idea how it would react when he answered his question. "Raynar…" Raynar said pointing to himself, then pointed to Eva and Derek on either side, "…Eva, and Derek respectively. You are in the Arcceonn Region." Manaphy suddenly winced in pain. "Sorry, did I…" Raynar said apologetically when he noticed something about Manaphy's appearance, "What?" Manaphy had clearly taken severe injury, claw marks and bruises covered his body. "What happened to you!?" Raynar exclaimed. Manaphy sighed and replied, "Find a place for me to rest and I'll explain everything."

* * *

Raynar, Eva and Derek took Manaphy under an outcrop near a tide pool to hear his story. "I was swimming through the Arcceonn Straight to the west, when suddenly I'm ambushed…" Manaphy said, "They were so fast I couldn't see them. I only escaped with help from a Gyarados, who promptly sent them packing, but I had already been injured severely. I found a place rest when I was attacked again…" Raynar was appalled at the ferocity of the attackers, a single attack is one thing, but two attacks indicated that Manaphy might have been intentionally targeted. "Then I saw this big black…thing…" Manaphy continued, "It came towards me but I managed to get away just in time, then I passed out...and that's my story." Raynar had to hand it to the little guy, he was brave and tough, but he wondered who attacked him and why; then he had an epiphany. "Manaphy, by any chance do you have any unique abilities?" he asked. "Yes, I do" Manaphy replied, "One of them being the ability to command water types." Eva and Derek stared at Manaphy in amazement. "Wow! What a cool ability!" Eva exclaimed excitedly. Raynar now had no doubt in his mind about why Manaphy was attacked. "It all makes sense now!" Raynar exclaimed, "Whoever attacked you seeks your power!" Manaphy turned to Raynar with an expression of shock on his face. "You know, that sounds likely" He replied, "Now all I need to know is who to avoid…"

Suddenly Derek's expression turned from amazement to fear. "Look out, behind you!" Derek shouted, pointing behind Manaphy. A Machamp had taken hold of Manaphy, while a group of Machokes moved in on the others. "Let him go!" Raynar shouted, getting up to attack the Machamp when he was hit from behind by a Machoke, knocking him unconscious. Eva and Derek tried to fight back but they too were knocked out. "Bind them and load them onto the skiff" the Machamp ordered in a cold tone, "We can't let them give away our operations." Raynar, Eva, Derek, and Manaphy were then tied up, loaded onto their skiff and taken out to a large, black submarine. "CNS Predator this is Wave 1, we have retrieved the target successfully, heavy three prisoners. Mission Accomplished" said the Machamp into his comm headset.

* * *

Raynar awoke in a dark room he wasn't familiar with. It felt cold and damp to the touch, and he could hear the low hum of electric generators. "What the…" Raynar whispered softly, "Eva? Derek? Manaphy?" Eva groaned as she came around, letting her eyes adjust. "Here Raynar…" she replied. Derek was also waking up by now, and he wasn't any worse for wear. "Right here…" he replied, "Where are we?" A voice came out of the darkness. "You're onboard the CNS Predator" the voice answered, "a submarine that serves as the flagship of Cyclone's Navy." Raynar's eyes had finally adjusted to the dim light, but he still couldn't see the source of the voice. "Who are you?" Raynar asked in a defensive tone, "and what's Cyclone?" There was a dim glow from an electric lamp, and the source of the voice, a Zangoose, stepped into its light. "I am Zephyr" he replied, "and to answer your question, I need you to listen carefully." Raynar, Eva and Derek, moved closer to better hear him. "Cyclone is a paramilitary criminal organization formed approximately ten years ago" he said, "Their ambition, as far as I know, is to take control of the territories once controlled by Wyvernia, a powerful empire that all but collapsed in the late fourteenth century that included Arcceonn." Raynar had only heard of Wyvernia once before, in a history lecture at the academy, but he had never thought of anyone actually trying to revive it. "They have begun preparations to invade Arcceonn, and their plan requires sea trade to be cut off, but I have no idea how they intend to do that…" Zephyr lamented, "I'm sorry I can't give you any more information…" Suddenly it all made sense, if Cyclone intended to cut off trade, they would need massive amounts of resources, and the largest source that Cyclone has access to in the ocean was the life in it, which Manaphy could control! "I know what they intend to do", Raynar replied, "They intend to use Manaphy to control the pokemon in the surrounding ocean!" Zephyr had a "What-the-Hell-are-you-talking-about" expression on his face. "And how do you suppose they do that!?" he asked in frustration, "They'd have to _find_ Manaphy first!" Raynar's expression turned serious. He put his face right in front of Zephyr. "They already _have_…" he said in a cold tone that emphasized its urgency.

* * *

A few hours later, Manaphy was being moved out of his own holding cell to the bridge, where he would be brought before the commander. Manaphy looked around and saw that they were going to pass by Raynar, Eva, and Derek's cell. He thought of what to do now and realized there was a way out. "Raynar, this is going to feel weird, but be brave…" he said telepathically, "when I say now, you'll be more or less yourself, but out of the cell. Have your companions hold you down" Raynar had heard Manaphy and replied through telepathy, "alright…" Raynar sat against the wall and told the others what Manaphy said. "But…" Derek replied, "what if you fight back?" Raynar smiled wryly and replied, "Then push harder…" He relaxed and closed his eyes. "I'm ready…" he said to Manaphy. Manaphy heard the response just in time. "Now! Heart Swap!" he shouted.

Raynar felt his aura leave him and travel to the body of a Machoke outside, the latter going to him. "Wow, so _this_ is Heart Swap…" he thought before blocking the path of Manaphy's captors. "Take _this_!" he shouted, throwing a Dynamicpunch into them, knocking them all out with Machoke's strength. He turned his attention to the cell and smashed it open as well before Manaphy swapped him back to his body. Raynar finally woke up in his body to find the others still restraining him. "You can let go now, I'm me again…" Raynar said, getting up as they released him. "What happened!?" Derek exclaimed, "It's like you were possessed!" Unlike Derek, Eva knew what happened, for she can't read Raynar's thoughts normally, but during Raynar's swap, she could read them like a book and knew they weren't his. Raynar knocked out the guard, still in shock from the Heart Swap. "Let's get out of here!" Raynar exclaimed, grabbing Manaphy and beckoning for the others to follow. "No, I can't" Zephyr replied solemnly, "I have something to do here, and that's to sabotage the Predator. I have to find the Kingston valves and open them to flood the ship." Raynar thought about this and decided he should go with Zephyr. "Zephyr, I'll cover you" Raynar said. Zephyr was hesitant but knew Raynar wouldn't take no for an answer. "All right" he said, "but you have to follow my orders to the letter." Raynar and Zephyr ran off deeper into the ship, leaving Eva and Derek alone. "We have to get Manaphy out of here!" Derek exclaimed, "Let's go Eva!" Eva and Derek started to run out but Eva hesitated, looking back behind her. "C'mon Eva!" Derek shouted, causing Eva to reluctantly turn back and follow Derek.

* * *

Deeper in the ship, Raynar and Zephyr run down towards the lower section of the hull, where the Kingston valves were located. "We're getting close" Zephyr said sternly, "The main valve is just ahead." Raynar followed close behind, running quickly through the doors between bulkheads as they approached the main Kingston Valve. "How will we know it when we see it?" Raynar asked between breaths. "It'll look like a plug for a drain" Zephyr replied, "With a large locking mechanism on it resembling a wheel." Raynar still didn't quite understand. "Is there a switch to open it?" he asked. "Yes" Zephyr said, "It's in the same room, we through the switch and get out as fast as possible." Raynar nodded in acknowledgement as they entered the room.

Zephyr and Raynar halt when they see that someone was already there; a Feraligatr stood between them and the control console, flanked on either side by a Machoke. "I've been expecting you two" the Feraligatr said with a snarl, "your gallantry impresses me, but this is as far as you'll go." Zephyr bared his claws and retorted, "I've come too far to fail now Koran!" Koran, the Feraligatr, hissed angrily in response and stepped forward. "As I said, this is as far as you'll go" he snarled, "I was a fool not to execute you as a spy when we found you, I will now correct that mistake!" The Machokes and Koran began to advance. "Let's do this!" Raynar yelled, charging with Zephyr into battle.

The Machokes went after Raynar, both attempting to strike quickly. Raynar remains calm and jumps away, landing just behind one of them. He launched a back kick into one of them and knocked the Machoke onto his comrade. Raynar didn't give them time to recover before striking again with Blaze Kick. The Machokes shouted out in agony but got back up, running at Raynar in a frenzied charge. Raynar spun out of the way and launched an Aura Sphere into them, knocking them out.

Meanwhile, Zephyr was locked in battle with Koran. Koran attacked first with Ice Fang, which Zephyr evaded and followed up with Aerial Ace. Koran was struck but shrugged off the attack before attacking repeatedly with Crunch. Zephyr dodges out of the way of each blow but was too late to avoid a sudden Ice Punch. He howled in agony as he was knocked flying backwards, falling to the floor behind Koran; Koran turned to face Zephyr, who was barely recovering. "It ends now!" he roared, unleashing Hydro Cannon. Zephyr slips out of the way but realized too late that it was going for the control console! It hit the console and destroyed it in a shower of sparks. "No!!!" Zephyr shouted in horror.

Raynar saw the destruction of the control console and knew it was over. Koran laughed out loud, "Hah! You've failed!" he exclaimed, "If you'll excuse me I have other business to attend to, I'll have my security teams down here to finish you off." Koran ran out of the room with surprising agility, leaving Raynar and Zephyr alone. "Raynar…" Zephyr said solemnly, "the Kingston Valve must be opened, and since the console is destroyed, I'll have to open it manually…Raynar, I must ask you to leave now…" Raynar suddenly understood what Zephyr intended to do: to open the valve to scuttle the submarine, sacrificing himself in the process. "No! You don't have to give your life!" Raynar exclaimed, "If you go down, I'll go down with you!" Zephyr was prepared for this, as he knew Raynar would not leave him. "No, you need to go, save yourself!" he shouted to him. Raynar wouldn't hear any more of it. "I won't let you give your life; you don't have to play the hero!" he replied angrily. Zephyr finally lost his patience; he slapped Raynar and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Listen to me boy!" Zephyr said with a serious tone, "You're a soldier now, you have your mission and I have mine; yours is to get out of here alive, make sure Manaphy isn't captured again!" Raynar didn't want to leave, but he knew there was no other way. He started to leave then turned back to see Zephyr starting to open the valve, water already spraying in with incredible force. "GO!!!" he shouted against the strain. Raynar finally turned and ran out of the compartment. Zephyr looked after Raynar and did something he hadn't done in a long time, he smiled. "At ease, Soldier…" he whispered, closing his eyes as the valve shot out.

* * *

Eva and Derek were still on their way up when they felt the Predator shudder and Klaxons blared as the submarine began to flood. "The Kingston Valve!" Derek exclaimed, "They've done it!" Eva was suddenly gripped by an overwhelming fear; "Derek, get out of here!" Eva shouted, "I'm going back for Raynar!" Derek was mortified that Eva would want to go back in while the submarine was sinking. Derek tried to stop her but couldn't, and Eva continued back in. "Dammit Eva!" Derek thought as he continued back out to get into a lifeboat. He eventually found one and climbed in.

Eva ran down through the interior of the ship, rushing past crew members fleeing to escape the flood. "I'm coming for you…" she thought, "you'll get out of here…" Eva turned another corner to start towards the Kingston Valve and was face to face with a large Feraligatr. "Move it!" he shouted as he passed, slamming Eva into the bulkhead. She screamed in pain as he struck her and slammed into the bulkhead, slipping into unconsciousness.

Raynar was in grief for Zephyr, who he barely knew, but was so dedicated to his mission that he gave his life so that Raynar could escape. "I have to get out of here…" he thought, "I won't let his death be in vain!" Raynar continued running through when he realized the water was catching him and was horrified when he saw he would have to swim through the water to get out the quickest route; however, he saw something that completely mortified him: Eva was unconscious, almost completely underwater. "Eva!" he shouted and jumped into the water. The water was extremely cold, and it seemed as if a thousand knives had stabbed every square inch of his body, but then the Ice Crystal began to glow, and suddenly Raynar was unaffected by the cold and could keep moving. Raynar continued down and grabbed Eva's unconscious form before beginning to swim out, the corridor now completely underwater. He swam through to a central area below the conning tower and began swimming straight up. He was beginning to run out of oxygen but saw that the hatch was closed. He continued to swim up, calling on the Steel Sash to get them through. He swam up and punched through. "You'll make it Eva…" he thought, "I'll make sure of it."

Derek was on the surface with Manaphy in the lifeboat. "I hope they made it out…" he said softly. Manaphy saw something in the water and realized it was Raynar and Eva. "There! It's Raynar and Eva!" he shouted excitedly. Derek started the motor and brought the life boat over to them before pulling them aboard. "Are you all right!?" Derek asked in amazement that they had survived. "I'm okay…" Raynar said, "Is Eva alright?" Manaphy looked down sadly and replied, "It doesn't look good for her…" Raynar immediately jumped to his feet and went over to Eva. "C'mon wake up Eva!" he shouted. No response. Raynar started giving her CPR, making sure to be careful. Still no response. Raynar picked Eva up in his arms; "C'mon Eva, don't do this, you can't die on me!" he shouted in despair, but then he felt her skin and it was as cold as the ocean. Raynar could not believe it, he was too late; "Eva…" he said sadly, his eyes tearing up. Derek, usually not taking anything seriously, now realized the significance of what just happened; "She's dead…" he whispered softly, knowing Raynar was in more pain than he could ever understand. Raynar held Eva in his arms, consumed by grief; "Goodbye…Eva…" he said softly, his voice trembling with a tone of finality as he rested his head on her chest and cried his heart out. Eva slowly opened her eyes and realized she was no longer in the submarine, but in the open air. Slowly, she looked down to see Raynar with his head on her chest, consumed by grief. "Uh…Raynar…" she said nervously, blushing out of embarrassment, "What are you doing?" Raynar suddenly froze up and slowly raised his head, turning it towards Eva to see that she was still alive! "You're alive!" he exclaimed, pulling Eva into an embrace. Eva, a little startled, tensed up but relaxed soon after, returning the embrace.

* * *

Koran had barely escaped the doomed submarine, and surprisingly, so had all of his crew. He watched the silent end of his ship, the CNS Predator, as it slowly and quietly slipped beneath the waves to its watery grave. He had been charged with cutting off trade to Arcceonn in preparation to invade the mainland, and he had failed miserably. His superiors would _not_ be pleased…


	9. Chapter 8: Stone Resilience

Chapter 8: Stone Resilience

_As Raynar and his companions continue on their journey, they move forward with greater speed than ever before, mainly to evade the clutches of Cyclone. Now they journey back inland towards a deep and arid canyon, where they hope to elude their pursuers, but little do they know that there is already someone there, waiting for their arrival. In order to overcome this obstacle, Raynar must prove himself to be as strong as the earth itself, for there is a relic that pertains to him in the shadow of the valley…_

It had been a week since Raynar rescued Manaphy and witnessed Zephyr's sacrifice onboard the CNS Predator, but the memory of the experience still haunted him. This was especially true in that Cyclone knew who he was and was now hot on his trail, hell-bent on revenge. "C'mon!" Raynar shouted, "We can't let them catch us!" Eva and Derek were both exhausted; Raynar's stamina continued to astound them, even now when they should've gotten used to it. "Aw Raynar!" Derek whined, "We can't go on like this!" Eva was also tired and she collapsed out of exhaustion. Raynar turned and ran back to them; "Alright…" he said, lifting Eva up onto his shoulder, "We'll need to find someplace concealed…" Derek looked ahead and found exactly what they were looking for, a deep rift in the terrain; it appeared desolate, but it would serve its purpose. "There! The ravine!" he shouted, pointing out ahead. Raynar took a glance at it and nodded. "Let's go…" he replied, and they ran towards the ravine.

* * *

When they arrived, Raynar and Derek looked down into the chasm; it was indeed barren, seemingly lifeless, but they had no choice but remain hidden inside until their pursuers lost them. "Alright, follow me…" Raynar said to Derek as he began climbing down the wall of the canyon, Eva balanced carefully over his shoulder; Derek watched Raynar begin his decent and followed soon after, checking to ensure their pursuers hadn't seen them. When they reached the bottom, Raynar and Derek ducked into a small cave to camp for the night. Raynar set Eva down on a flat rock and sat down beside her. "Nice call Derek…" Raynar said, trying to catch his breath, "I think we lost them…" Derek sat down opposite Raynar, still apprehensive. "Yeah, but will this cover do us any good though…" he muttered.

Meanwhile, Cade and Darman, who had been tracking the trio at visual range, saw Raynar and Derek jump into the ravine. "Damn…" Darman cursed, "They could hide in there all day!" Cade wasn't as frustrated; to him, it was a only a small setback; "Delta One this is Delta Three, the target has ducked into a ravine, requesting that you send a scouting party" Cade said into his comms headset. "Hmm…that complicates things…" the voice of Delta One replied, "Very well then, hold your positions. The rest of Delta Squad and I will be there momentarily. Delta One, out!" Cade turned to Darman and gave him a triumphant grin. "So the squad captain's coming down huh?" Darman said in response, "That should make it easier, as now it'll be two to one as opposed to three to two…" Cade nodded in agreement, and they began their wait for the rest of Delta Squad to arrive.

* * *

It was now high noon, the Sun's glare eliminating the last of the morning fog that had kept Raynar, Eva, and Derek hidden for so long. They retreated slightly deeper into their cave to avoid the light and finally set up their camp. Raynar then went back to the entrance to scout the terrain when he heard metallic clangs, followed by the loud whir of grappling lines. He looked frantically and saw the source; further into the canyon, he could clearly make out five beings descending into the ravine via grappling line, a sixth flying down. "Cyclone!" he thought, and he ran back into the cave. "Derek, Eva! They've found us! We've got to get out of here!" Raynar shouted. Derek and Eva were still exhausted, but the alarm in Raynar's voice alerted them to the urgency that they evacuate; they both felt a surge of energy and immediately jumped to their feet. "We don't have time! They'll be here in fifteen minutes tops!" Raynar shouted, urging them to follow. Eva and Derek got the message and fled after Raynar, leaving the camp as it was.

Darman arrived at the cave first and stared in, checking for movement; although he didn't see movement, he _did_ see footprints leading in. "I found something!" he shouted; Cade came up behind him, followed close behind by the remainder of Delta Squad. "What have we here?" asked Matt, a Machamp, as he walked up. Cade and Darman immediately turned and saluted him. "Delta One, I believe I have found their encampment" Darman replied; Matt smirked and activated his headset's infa-red sight, only to see absolutely nothing. "Hold it…" he said suspiciously, "Let's take a closer look, shall we?" He walked in, followed by a Medicham, Zero, and two Machokes, Vallin and Lyman. Matt scanned the inner parts of the cave and although found what appeared to be a deserted camp, found nothing else. "Well they were definitely here…" Zero said, analyzing the cave, "Based on my observations, I'd say they left about fifteen minutes ago…" Matt was frustrated beyond belief at this news, as both he and Zero had failed their superior already, and any further failure may cost them their lives. "Delta Squad, move out!" Matt shouted, "They couldn't have gotten far, we need to catch them at all costs!"

* * *

"C'mon! They'll find out they've been mislead sooner or later!" Raynar shouted to Eva and Derek. Eva and Derek followed closely behind, still tired but continuing thanks to adrenaline. Raynar suddenly signed for them to halt; "Move very carefully here, I sense that the ground is unstable…" Raynar said in a hushed tone. Suddenly, two very familiar bandits had jumped in front of them and were blocking the path. "John, Westley, I am _so_ not in the mood for this!" Raynar shouted to them angrily. John chuckled at his adversary's rage and replied, "Yeah I kind of figured that out, but you can't get rid of us that easily!" Westley, however, opted to take the initiative and attempted to land a blow with Brick Break. Raynar spun out of the way, causing Westley's attack to slam into the ground; an ominous rumble could be heard within seconds of the missed attack, and cracks began to form in the ground below the combatants. "Westley!_ RUN!!!_" John shouted, but it was too late; the ground collapsed into a deep hole, Raynar, Eva, Derek, John and Westley all falling to the bottom.

Raynar, Eva and Derek slowly regained consciousness and looked around to realize that they had fallen quite a long way. "How come we didn't get hurt?" Derek asked; "Because we broke your fall…" John moaned. "Oh!" Derek exclaimed he and Eva helping them up. Eva looked around and realized that Raynar was not in sight, but then her eyes came to rest on a tunnel that seemed to go deeper underground. "Raynar!" Eva shouted, running down the tunnel; Derek followed behind her, trailed by John and Westley. "Why are we following them?" Westley asked; John smirked and replied "Westley, you're not thinking strategically, you know what we came here for, and if I know Raynar's track record, he'll have a higher chance of finding it than we will, and when he does, we snatch it!"

"Sir! We've found something!" Darman shouted, staring into a deep hole. Matt and Zero came up behind him; "Excellent work Delta Four" Matt said, before turning to Cade, "You too Delta Three." Cade nodded in reply and was about to jump in when Matt stopped him; "No, Delta Two and I will deal with them personally, of course, with some assistance…" Matt replied, gesturing to a Gliscor behind him. Cade and Darman knew Razon was not invincible, but they still shivered out of fear at the mere sight of him. "Relax, I don't bite, I slice…" Gliscor said in his usual cold voice; Cade and Darman hardly found Razon's crude joke to be humorous, but they didn't say anything in response. "Let's go…" Matt said before he, Zero and Razon jumped into the abyss.

* * *

Eva reached the end of the tunnel to see Raynar standing completely still; "Raynar!" Eva shouted, running up to him. "Eva, look!" Raynar replied, pointing ahead; Eva looked ahead and was awestruck by what was before them: a gigantic pyramid-shaped structure of massive proportions. Derek, John and Westley finally came in behind Eva and were equally moved by the sight; "Whoa…_that's_ impressive…" John said, "How in the Hell do you build something like _this_ underground!?" Raynar didn't understand either, as it would've taken architectural techniques that would've been over a thousand years ahead of the builder's time; there had to be some other force at work here. "Well someone _did_ build it…" Raynar replied, "and I'm gonna find out who and why…" Raynar walked up to a rectangular hole in the structure, the others following behind him.

Matt, Zero and Razon entered the second chamber from the tunnel; "Look at the _size_ of this thing!" Zero exclaimed. Razon moved closer and took a long look at it. "I've been here before…" he thought, "but that was when…"; Razon advanced towards the entrance quickly. "If they're in there, then they're in for a Hell of a time…" he said in a serious tone. Matt wondered what Razon could have meant but set the thoughts aside, he had to eliminate the saboteurs who sank the CNS Predator at all costs, for his sake. "Let's get them!" Matt shouted, charging past Razon and into the pyramid, Zero close behind. Razon was about to follow when a burst of static came through his comms headset; it was the leader of Cyclone himself! "Razon…" the voice said sternly, "you know your orders. You are to execute them whenever possible…" Razon grinned and replied, "It shall be done my Lord…"; his orders confirmed, Razon followed Matt and Zero into the pyramid.

Raynar came to the end of the entrance hall and entered a large chamber covered on every wall by hieroglyphs and at the center of which was a large slab. Eva, Derek, John and Westley followed close behind; Eva looked around the room, looking at the hieroglyphs on the wall. Her eyes came to rest on a particular image that showed three figures, one of which she recognized as Regice! She looked at the others and identified Registeel and Regirock, and only then did she realized its significance. "Raynar come here!" Eva shouted; Raynar turned and ran over to Eva, at which point he saw the same image and its meaning. "This is the Third Seal!" Raynar exclaimed, "two have been unlocked and the third is here!" Derek looked at the picture with skepticism, but then he came to a sobering realization, that if this was a third seal, than the third guardian would be here too; "Raynar, there might be another guardian" Derek said, "are you ready?" Raynar turned to Derek and smiled wryly; "Regirock is powerful, but I feel I can handle it" he replied smugly, "but we need to find how to get through…" John hadn't been following most of the conversation but did hear what Raynar just said. He walked over to a stone block; "You know, I find that if I just sit down…" John said as he sat down on the slab, triggering a set of stairs to appear where Raynar was standing, causing Raynar to topple all the way down, "…the answer comes to me naturally!" Raynar yelled something that John couldn't understand but let him know that Raynar was _really _angry. "Let's go" Eva said, Derek following; "Nah, we'll stay back here and guard the entrance…" John replied, letting Eva and Derek descend the stairs, "heh, they have no idea…"

"And what do you _you're_ doing?" said a voice from behind Westley; Westley knew from instinct that whoever it was wasn't friendly. He attempted a back kick but found that his kick had been caught. "Not so fast…" Zero said before tossing him back up the entrance hall; John turned around and was promptly grabbed by the throat by Matt. "Goodbye…" Matt said before throwing John the same way Westley had been. Razon barely contained his embarrassment, as he expected the bandits to put up more of a fight, but was apparently disappointed. "Odd…" he said upon noticing the stairs, "These stairs…C'mon, they're just ahead!"

* * *

Raynar, Eva, and Derek finally arrived at the shrine chamber, another large statue at the back of the room; Raynar, Eva, and Derek walked forward, and as in the last two times, a voice emanates from somewhere. "Do not fear what stands against you, although they stand resolute as a mountain" the voice said, "Stand strong, as resilient as stone, and thou shalt triumph in battle…" Raynar stood wary as the voice finished, and sure enough, Regirock shot up out of the ground in front of the statue at the back of the room. Raynar readied himself for a fight, this time with Eva and Derek covering him, and the three charged into battle. Regirock was a little faster than anticipated however, and struck the first blow with Stone Edge; Raynar and Derek punched through the stones flying at them while Eva returned fire with Focus Blast. The sphere of energy slammed into Regirock, creating a massive explosion, but when the smoke cleared, Regirock remained standing; "What!?" Raynar exclaimed, "How is it still standing!?" Raynar and Derek rushed back in to fight at close quarters while Eva tried to wear Regirock out with repeated Magical Leaf attacks, but Regirock withstood everything that was thrown at it. It raised its fist into the air and slammed it into the ground, causing huge tremors; "Regirock's Earthquake!" Raynar shouted, "hit the deck!" The tremors lasted only a few seconds, but by the time they stopped Regirock was already on the move. Raynar slowly rose to his feet and regained his balance, but just as Raynar was ready for a counterattack, Regirock switched targets and started towards Eva! Regirock charged energy and unleashed Hyper Beam, sending a yellow-orange beam of pure energy streaking towards Eva. Eva braced herself for the impact of the blast, squeezing her eyes shut; then, the explosion, a massive fireball and thick black smoke consumed the chamber. By the time the smoke cleared, Derek could see what had happened; "Eva, look!" he shouted. Eva slowly opened her eyes and suddenly wished she had kept them shut rather than see what she was in front of her; Raynar had shielded Eva from the attack just a split second before impact, and miraculously, he was still standing strong, as if he were a mountain, weathering everything thrown at him. Raynar was critically injured however, and wouldn't survive a second attack; even a glancing blow would be fatal. Regirock was already charging another Hyper Beam, and Raynar knew he had only one chance; he had to call upon the Steel Sash's power, but he had to do it at exactly the right moment or the combined power of the sash plus the attack could consume him. Regirock was near maximum charge, it was now or never; Regirock at last loosed another Hyper Beam, this one would be decisive. "No! I will not end like this!" Raynar shouted as his aura changed from blue to silver-white, his eyes also changing color; the attack slammed into Raynar, but Raynar held it back with a block. With a loud roar, Raynar raised his palm and released a pulse of aura that sent all the power of the Hyper Beam, compounded exponentially by its reflection, right back at Regirock. Unlike all the previous blows landed, this one slammed into Regirock like a sledgehammer to a cinder block, causing it to stagger off balance and leaving it open to a counterattack. "I will stand strong!" Raynar shouted, "strong as stone! AURA OVERDRIVE!!!" Raynar suddenly unleashed a wild ability he never knew he had before: Aura Overdrive, causing his aura to flare up, exponentially increasing its intensity and power to maximize the damage he could do. Raynar rushed back at Regirock and struck it dead center with Focus Punch before following up with a kick that knocked his adversary into the air. "Let's end this!" he shouted as he launched himself after Regirock, unleashing Sky Uppercut then Close Combat in quick succession before slamming it back into the ground, effectively ending the battle.

Raynar landed as if he hadn't expended any effort and walked over to the crater formed by Regirock slamming into the ground; he looked down into the pit and found a small, ring-shaped object. He placed it around his wrist and it fit perfectly, and although the energy from the Steel Sash faded at that moment, he no longer felt faint! "It cancels out the backflow effect of the Steel Sash!" he thought, but his celebration of this success was short-lived; a Focus Blast was fired and hit him square in the middle of his back. Raynar cried out in pain and kneeled over, trying to recover from the blow; Eva and Derek immediately turn towards the source of the attack. "You can't escape from Cyclone!" Zero shouted. Matt stepped into the chamber, followed by Razon; "Aw, what a shame…" Matt said sarcastically, "It would've been more fun if you hadn't knocked out Regirock yet, oh well…" Matt walked towards Raynar and kicked him down; he raised his fist in the air for the killing blow. "It's about time we caught you, you're finished!" he exclaimed as he pulled his fist back all the way for the attack.

However, Matt's attack was interrupted by a scream; it was Zero. Matt turned around to see Zero lying on the ground, no longer moving, with a slash mark across his back. He recoiled in shock at the realization that Razon had struck Zero down, and that Zero was dead! "What!? Razon, what are you doing!?" Matt exclaimed; Razon grinned at Matt's surprise and began to advance on his second target. "Sorry Delta One…" Razon replied, "But your superior desires your…extermination." Matt's expression turned to horror at the realization that his master had lost faith in him; "What!? NO!!!" he yelled out as Razon rushed at him, too fast to block or evade, and slashed him. Matt dropped to his knees and fell to ground like a rag doll, breathing his last as he did so. Razon then turned to Raynar; "Now for the primary target" he muttered as he advanced slowly towards him. Razon was about to strike when suddenly something phased into the path of the attack and parried the blow, as if out of thin air; it was the Absol! He pushed Razon's claw away with his blade and struck back with Night Slash, flinging Razon back towards the other end of the hall! Razon's eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen a ghost. "We meet again Andre…" he said menacingly, "and again you have to interfere with me…" The Absol, Andre, stood his ground, replying, "You won't harm him, not as long as I still live…" Raynar struggled to his feet, completely astonished by what he was hearing; this Absol had followed him even here, and again was saving his life! "Don't hurt yourself Raynar…" Andre said, "This isn't your fight." He became more aggressive now, his blade glowing with energy. "This will be the last time Andre!" Razon shouted furiously, his claws bared for the fight to come. "I'm sorry to disappoint you old friend, but this is only the beginning!" Andre shouted with equal fury. "You're right…" Raynar said, now fully recovered from the late Zero's Focus Blast, "I won't fall to you again!" Razon rushed at Andre, and before Raynar could move, Andre was already on the attack, striking with Aerial Ace! Razon couldn't parry fast enough and took a critical hit. Razon fell to the ground, barely holding on; "That Absol is _powerful_!" Raynar thought, "Am I glad he's on _my_ side!" Andre was standing between Raynar and Razon, looking as if he didn't break a sweat. "If you want I could end this right now!" Andre shouted, "Or you could flee and live to fight another day!" Razon had by now, albeit grudgingly, accepted that Andre was too strong for him still, he had to retreat. "This isn't the last you'd seen of me!" Razon shouted as he glided out of the chamber. Andre turned back to Raynar and walked up to him. "I'm sorry for being impolite…" he said in a much calmer tone, "my name is Andre." Raynar was completely lost; he had no idea what just happened. "Okay Andre, but how do you know me?" Raynar asked. Andre paused before he replied, "That is a question for another day…Come, I will explain en route to Station Two, you lead the way." Raynar hesitated to think but decided it would be best to allow Andre to join them and beckoned for the others to follow as he left the chamber. He was not quite certain how Andre knew him, but he had a guess that maybe Andre knows something about his father, and resolved to learn everything he could from Andre before it was too late…


	10. Chapter 9: Deliverance From Darkness

Chapter 9: Deliverance from Darkness

_As Raynar continues his exploration of the Southwestern area of the Arcceonn Region, he must not only cope with new dangers but also a new ally who knows much more about Raynar's past than Raynar knows himself, and he may also know more than he's willing to let on. Raynar also continues to experience the same recurring nightmare, only now with greater clarity; could it have some significance about Raynar's future? Perhaps, but there is also a far darker, more sinister force at work in the shadows, with an unknown purpose…_

"It shouldn't be much farther now" Andre said, "at this rate we'll arrive at Station Two by tomorrow morning." Raynar didn't respond, even though it was the first time Andre said anything in the last two days, and they had only met five days prior, in an underground ruin; there was so much Raynar wanted to know that Andre already knew, but any time Raynar asked questions, Andre either ignored the question or replied, "You already know the answer to that question." It frustrated Raynar beyond belief, as he had no idea what Andre was talking about, and he seemed to be deliberately evading his questions, as if simply to test him. Another question was asked, but this time it was Eva that spoke up. "Andre, why are you so serious?" she asked, "I mean, I know why Raynar acts that way but what about you?"

Andre stopped in his tracks, Raynar and the others stopping as well; Andre turned around and faced Eva, her eyes fixed into his cold stare. "Raynar would know, him and I are much alike…" he said sternly before continuing on, but before he could keep going, Raynar stopped him. "You lost someone close to you, didn't you?" he asked in a stern tone; suddenly, Andre froze, he paused for a few seconds, and then looked down at his feet. "Yes…I have…" Andre finally replied solemnly, "Let's go, the light's fading quickly…" Andre began walking again when he turned back around. "On second thought, it'll be too dark to travel safely; we'll have to set up camp here" he said, "for by the time we finish, it'll be dark…"

* * *

By the time the camp was finally set up, it was indeed already evening, and there were so many clouds that not a single star could shine through. After the camp was completed and a fire was started, Raynar and his companions all sat around the fire to talk about what happened that day, but while they were talking, Derek had another idea. He snuck up behind Eva and quickly grabbed her shoulder; Eva yelped in surprise and jumped away. "What the Hell was that for!?" Eva shouted angrily to Derek. "You should've seen the look on your face!" Derek exclaimed, obviously amused with himself, "You looked as if you'd seen Darkrai!" Raynar had no idea what Derek was talking about for once; "Derek, who _is_ Darkrai?" he asked, trying not to sound stupid. Derek looked at Raynar, still amused with himself. "Darkrai, he's an old ghost story, don't worry about it!" he exclaimed, but Andre's eyes shot wide open at Derek's behavior. "It _is_ real!" Andre replied in an annoyed tone; at Andre's sudden change of tone, Raynar and Derek immediately turned towards Andre, exchanging worried glances. "I had only heard of Darkrai from a friend, but I know that he is all too real…" Andre said coldly, "about twenty years ago, I was on vacation with a friend of mine, and we decided to camp, on a night much like tonight. We went to sleep at about eleven at night, but half an hour later, I heard my friend, moaning as if in pain. I went over to him and he appeared to be having a nightmare, and although I tried to wake him up, he never did. Then, at exactly midnight, he let out a piercing scream…and died." Raynar and Derek's eyes shot open at the word _died_, both in curiosity and horror; "I looked outside of the tent and saw a strange apparition resembling a distorted shadow…" Andre said in a much more stern tone, "It looked at me with a glowing blue eye, the other concealed by its head, and as soon as I saw it, it disappeared." Raynar, Eva, and Derek were horrified; a pokemon that killed through nightmares must be terrifying, but then Raynar realized that maybe this could have something to do with his dreams, but decided to remain silent. After about an hour, Raynar, Andre, Eva, and Derek all said good night and went to sleep.

Raynar was dreaming again, but he knew what the dream was, he had seen the same dream every night for the last month, each time with a bit more clarity, but this time he could clearly see where he was. He was in a large courtyard of a town, a large crowd had gathered around the edge, while in the center stood a tall figure he couldn't make out, flanked on either side by guards; in front of them stood four more guards carrying strange devices in their hands, and in front of them, stood four more figures, by their appearance Raynar assumed they were four of the town's citizens. He heard a loud voice, the tall figure, shout, "Enough delays! Soldiers, Ready!" The four guards between the two groups raised the devices they carried, and then the loud voice shouted, "Aim!" The guards pointed the devices at the four townspeople. The voice was about to shout "Fire!" when one of the four guards turned around and pointed the device at the figure and shouted, "Sir, stand down!" The Figure appeared shocked and didn't respond, and the guard repeated, "Stand Down!" The voice spoke again, "You have forgotten your place, guards, arrest him!" The guard was grabbed by two others, and the voice repeated his commands. When he said "Fire!" the insubordinate guard broke free and tackled the other three as arcs of energy left the front the devices; two missed, but one hit their mark, and the target dropped dead. "No!!!" Raynar shouted in his sleep.

Eva awoke in a cold sweat upon hearing Raynar's scream; she ran out of the tent and ran to Raynar's to see him thrashing about in his sleep, while floating over him was an ominous looking shadow, staring at Raynar with a glowing blue eye. Eva knew immediately who it was and felt her heart skip a beat in both fear for her safety and fear for Raynar's life; "Darkrai!" she exclaimed, causing Darkrai to look up, straight into Eva's eyes. "Oh shit…" Eva thought, knowing that Darkrai had now switched targets, and she slowly began to back away. Darkrai, however, had already moved and was now _behind_ her! Eva spun around a hundred and eighty degrees and found herself face to face with the Pitch-Black pokemon. Darkrai didn't say a word, instead using hypnosis; Eva couldn't resist despite her mental screen and succumbed to sleep.

Raynar was still locked in his nightmare, but then he saw a light and heard a soothing voice he at first thought was Eva's, but the tone was far more soothing. "Do not be afraid, this is all a nightmare!" the voice shouted as the light brightened and Raynar awoke. Raynar bolted up and looked around him before his eyes came to rest on a large, glowing bird-like pokemon with luminescent, crescent-shaped wings. "Who are you?" he asked, not quite fully alert; "That is not important now" the pokemon replied, "Your friend is danger, go to her now!" Raynar bolted upright, knowing that "her" referred to Eva, and immediately ran out of the tent. He spotted Eva, asleep in the arms of a shadowy pokemon that struck fear into him like a thousand knives; "Darkrai!" he thought, "It's him!" Disregarding his fear, Raynar decided to confront the pokemon, despite an odd sense of foreboding. "Get away from her you monster!" Raynar shouted furiously, "What have you done to her!?" Darkrai's eyes shot up to face Raynar and he lowered Eva to the ground. "She is unharmed…" Darkrai replied in a voice that made Razon sound friendly, "Now be gone or suffer the consequences…" Now the bird pokemon that had awoken Raynar appeared between Raynar and Darkrai; "Back off Darkrai, you don't know what you're dealing with!" she shouted to Darkrai. Darkrai's stance became far less calm and far more defensive at the appearance of the pokemon. "Cresselia…" he said, "You _are_ tenacious, for even here you pursue me...but you and this Lucario are alone, for as you know, the other three are asleep and won't awaken until I leave the area…" Cresselia recoiled in shock at his response; "I know you're misunderstood Darkrai but I want to help you!" she replied, "I know your pain!" Raynar stared at Cresselia then shifted his stare to Darkrai, he couldn't believe that Darkrai could be misunderstood; it just didn't make any sense to him. "No, your friendly gesture is a deception!" Darkrai replied angrily, "I won't make myself vulnerable again! Take this!!!" Darkrai fired a Dark Pulse at Cresselia and Raynar, striking both off their feet. Raynar recovered first; "Well it looks like you failed to get through to him, so now for plan B" Raynar shouted, "Will you cover me!?" Cresselia recovered as well by now and replied, "I don't have a choice, I will…"

Darkrai was again the first to attack, striking at Raynar with Faint Attack. The attack is too quick for Raynar to evade or block and he takes the hit, suffering major damage despite a type advantage due to Darkrai's superior power. Raynar jumped back away from Darkrai after the attack and launched Aura Sphere, but Darkrai faded into the shadows and evaded the attack with great ease; "_This_ won't be easy…" he thought as he stared in dismay at his foiled attack. Cresselia attempted to compensate for Raynar's missed attack but was struck by Darkrai's Shadow Claw. Cresselia screamed in pain as she took a critical hit and was flung to the ground; she was no longer in any condition to fight Darkrai, and she knew Raynar would most be killed by Darkrai. She attempted to warn Raynar of the risk he was taking via telepathy, but discovered that Raynar was had already come to terms with the sacrifice that might be required and was not afraid; she admired his courage greatly, even if he was fighting a losing battle. Darkrai was about to finish Cresselia but didn't see Raynar coming in from the side. Raynar struck Darkrai as hard as he could with Close Combat to inflict as much damage as he could in the shortest amount of time. Darkrai recoiled away from Raynar's attack after suffering a huge amount of punishment and turned to face his attacker. "Don't be a fool boy, you can't defeat me!" he shouted as he struck back at Raynar with Dark Pulse, repeating the attack every few seconds to cause continuous damage. Raynar was made to stagger by each blow, but Darkrai began to notice that Raynar staggered less and less with each strike until he just disappeared from view altogether. Darkrai was caught off guard by his disappearance, unable to make sense of it when he was struck repeatedly by an unseen attacker. Darkrai was knocked down but not out and caught a fleeting glimpse of the attacker; it was Raynar, he was moving so fast that Darkrai could barely see him! "I should've known! It's his Steadfast ability!" Darkrai thought. Raynar stopped for a moment and leapt up, landing on top of Darkrai's head. Darkrai tried to strike back, but Raynar leapt up just before impact, the attack hitting Darkrai back on his own head; Darkrai saw stars as his own attack collided with him and he briefly lost his situational awareness. When he looked up, Raynar was far above, his outline clearly visible in front of the full moon. Raynar flipped over and began his downwards plunge back at Darkrai as he used Blaze Kick in a strike aimed straight down! Darkrai was slammed right on the head by Raynar's improvised aerial assault and was knocked to the ground. Raynar jumped off of Darkrai's head and stood in front of Darkrai, staring at his fallen opponent. Darkrai stared back at Raynar for a few tense seconds before his arms gave way and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Raynar made sure Darkrai was out and was about to go attempt to awaken Eva but remembered Cresselia and ran over to her side. "Cresselia, Darkrai's down and out, are you alright?" Raynar asked Cresselia, feeling her wing to make sure it wasn't broken. "I'm alright, and your friends will awaken at sunrise…" Cresselia replied with a warm smile, "thank you for your concern…" Raynar sighed in relief but for some reason turned to look at Darkrai, only to see that Darkrai had already disappeared; Cresselia had noticed as well and frowned in disappointment. "Poor Darkrai…" she whispered, "He doesn't really mean any harm, he's just too afraid to trust anyone…" Raynar turned back to Cresselia in surprise; "Wait a minute, you actually feel _sorry_ for him!?" he exclaimed. "Of course…" Cresselia replied, "He's been through more than anyone should ever have to endure, and I've been trying to get through to him, to tell him that someone out there actually cares…" Raynar suddenly saw Darkrai in his mind's eye, but not as the menacing specter he was earlier, but rather the image changed to one of himself, and he realized that they both been through much pain and suffering, and despite himself found that he felt sympathy towards Darkrai. "I know how he feels Cresselia" Raynar replied solemnly, "As long as he lets the pain from the past, he remains a danger to himself and all around him, if I ever meet him again, I'll do my best to get him to see the light…" Now it was Cresselia's turn to be shocked; her first impression of Raynar was that he was a cold, efficient warrior without a shadow of fear in his heart, but now she saw that indeed Raynar and Darkrai were one and the same in terms of the experiences that made them both who they were in the present. "Thank you…" she said as she rose up, "I must continue my pursuit, farewell and good luck." Cresselia began to glow brightly and in a shower of sparkling energy, she disappeared into the night.

* * *

The next morning, Eva awoke to see Raynar standing outside his tent, watching the sunrise. "You're up early…" Eva said to Raynar as she walked towards him. "I didn't get much sleep last night, I was a little restless…" he replied, deciding it would be best not to mention the events of last night until a later day, "Let's pack up quickly, we don't have far to go to Station Two, we're almost home Eva!" Eva and Raynar set to work packing things up at such a pace that by the time Derek and Andre woke up the camp was already packed up completely. Andre got up and dint say a word about it, keeping to his usual silence, but Derek had thought he had slept in and rushed about, getting himself ready to move within the space of five minutes. Finally ready, Raynar and his companions continued along the road to station two, unaware that the events of Raynar's dreams were about to come to realization.


	11. Chapter 10: Triumph and Tragedy

Chapter 10: Triumph and Tragedy

_As Raynar and his companions continue down the final stretch of road to Station Two, Raynar mulls over his encounter with the mysterious Darkrai the previous night along with the promise he made to Cresselia; although thought provoking, the encounter should be the least of Raynar's worries, rather he should worry more about Cyclone, who is far from beaten. Despite the setback caused by the sinking of the CNS Predator, Cyclone's leader has decided to skip phase I and press on to stage II: the invasion of the Arcceonn Region. However, even this fact is the Raynar should think about, rather he should worry more about his recurring nightmare, which is on the brink of coming true…_

Raynar was lost in thought as he and his companions approach their destination; "Darkrai and I are one and the same…" he thought, "But will my fate be the same as his if I continue to live my life like this, not completely trusting anybody and always on the run?" The thought of living a life as lonely as Darkrai's scared him; he really hoped that his life won't take such a tragic turn. Raynar decided to push the thought out of his mind and focus on what lay ahead, as Station Two was now just ahead. Raynar looked ahead and saw something he felt was quite out of place. Multiple plumes of smoke were slowly rising from the other side of the hill they were on, in the direction that they were going. Raynar, fearing the worst, immediately rushed to the top of the hill and froze in his tracks at what he saw. It was an apocalyptic scene, Station Two was in ruins, looking as if it had been hit by a thermonuclear bomb. Fires burned from many buildings, sending towering smoke plumes high in the air, the town citizens could be heard crying out in anguish and despair over the destruction; but then, Raynar saw one object that gave away the cause of this carnage, a flag with a symbol he remembered vividly from the CNS Predator, the Cyclone emblem. Raynar's horror mutated into a rage at the destruction Cyclone had caused, to his _home_! When Eva, Derek, and Andre arrived, they were similarly affected by the sight, but Raynar had recovered from the shock and was furious. "Those _bastards_!!!" he shouted angrily, slamming the ground with his fist as he does. "H-How could anyone _do_ such a thing!?" Eva exclaimed in horror, now also recovered from the shock. Derek and Andre remained silent, as they didn't know what to say about such devastation, as opposed to Raynar, who finally lost control of his rage. "Cyclone did this…" he muttured furiously before his voice became a roar, "C'mon, let's kick Cyclone out of here and teach them why they messed with the wrong Lucario!" Andre knew what Raynar had in mind and got in the way before Raynar would do something foolish. "A direct attack would be suicide Raynar" he said forcefully, "We'll have to infiltrate the town and destroy Cyclone from within…" Raynar knew Andre was right, so he began to look for alternative methods when he saw a patrol of four guards marching towards the gate; Raynar had an idea that was ingenious, but very risky, and the only one who could play the most vital part of his plan was Eva. He turned towards Eva and smirked mischievously. "What?" Eva asked in a worried tone, not quite getting the hint. "I have a plan Eva" he replied, "…and you're not gonna like it…"

* * *

Raynar and Eva waited behind a rock for the patrol to get close. Eva had heard Raynar's idea alright, but she was so appalled by what it required that she wanted to make sure she heard it right. "You want me to do _WHAT_!?" she exclaimed telepathically. "I know it makes you feel self-conscious Eva, but it's the most likely way to distract them" he replied in telepathy, "All you have to do is flash them, and we'll take over from there." Eva blushed bright red in response to Raynar's idea; she was afraid that he was gonna say that, but she also knew it was almost the _only_ way they were getting in there undetected. "All right…" she muttured, "But you owe me for this…"

As the Cyclone patrol passed by, Eva was waiting. "Hey boys!" she shouted to them, "Check this out!" The soldiers turned and stopped, completely paralyzed out of shock; "_NOW!!!_" Raynar shouted, and he, Derek and Andre pounced on the soldiers, knocking them out in less than a second. "Sorry about that Eva" Raynar said sheepishly; he was actually more embarrassed at himself than Eva, as he had blushed when he saw it happen. All Raynar hoped was that nobody noticed it. Raynar dragged the guards behind the rocks and tied them up. "Okay, we got rid of these guards, but how do we get pass the formation at the gate?" Derek asked pointing to a formation of twenty more guards at the marching by the gate. Raynar thought for a few seconds, as he had forgotten to take that into consideration; then Raynar had another idea that was even riskier but almost guaranteed passage. "Simple Derek" Raynar replied, "We slip these guards' uniforms on, march up to the gate but just outside of view and fall in at the back of the formation when they go back inside, almost as easy as it sounds." Derek rolled his eyes; he knew Raynar would come up with something like that, typical of Raynar's boldness. Eva and Andre, however, agreed with the idea and slipped on the uniforms that best fit them while Raynar put on the uniform of a Cyclone Squad Captain, handing Derek the last of the uniforms. "Put these on…" Raynar said, holding out three small devices, "these are the comms headsets that we always see Cyclone operatives wearing over their ears, just press the red button to activate it and it'll adjust itself to fit your head." Raynar put on his headset and activated it, a tactical heads-up display appearing on the sight over his left eye. "Alright then, looks like we're all ready" Raynar said, "Follow me."

Raynar and his companions waited just out of the line of sight for the Cyclone guards to form up to march back inside the gate; they knew they were going in behind enemy lines and that discovery would mean death. "I hope this works Raynar" Derek whispered, "I really do, but what do you plan to do once we're inside?" Raynar was a little irritated at the question but understood that he wasn't very clear about what his plan was intended to accomplish; "We're going to kick Cyclone out of here" he replied in a soft whisper. "And how do you suppose we do that?" Andre asked in whisper that implied a challenge. Raynar was about to make a smart remark but realized that Andre had a point in that in Raynar never exactly planned this far ahead. "Well…" Raynar replied, "I'll think of something, you should worry more about keeping a low profile for now." Raynar heard the detail leader shout an order to form up and march in. "Let's go!" Raynar whispered, and the four infiltrators lined up in two by two formation, ran out from where they were and fell in step with the back of the formation as they walked in through the gate just before it closed.

* * *

As Raynar, Eva, Derek, and Andre got inside, Raynar pulled all of them into an alley to talk with them. "Take off those uniforms" Raynar whispered, "I don't want you three in any more danger as a result of this." Derek was about to protest and decided against it, but Eva wasn't quite sure that was a good idea; "But what about you Raynar?" she asked in a worried tone. Raynar put a finger over his mouth to tell the others to keep it down. "I'm going to the town square to gather intelligence from the Cyclone guards, you should do the same with the town's citizens…" Eva agreed with the idea but she knew Raynar was hiding something from them; "Why?" she asked. Raynar knew what Eva was hinting at and decided it was time to fess up. "Because I…have a feeling that something bad is going to happen…" he replied, "And I don't want you to be harmed…" Eva was skeptical at Raynar's concern but decided not to push the issue further and changed out of the uniform along with Derek and Andre, Raynar having already left the alley.

Raynar walked out of the alley and thought for a moment that he was clear when he felt a tap on his shoulder; he spun around to find himself face to face with an Aggron who was obviously a high-ranking Cyclone officer. "Captain, is your special operations detail ready?" he asked in a deep, metallic voice. "Ready with the exception of equipment sir" he replied, not knowing what to say; he hoped he didn't say something he shouldn't have. The Aggron smiled wryly and responded, "Yes, you did mention logistical problems yesterday, and those have been rectified, as the new equipment arrived today"; he revealed an object behind his back and put it in Raynar's hands. Raynar had absolutely no idea what the device was but it had a cold, sinister feel to it. "Sir, remind me exactly what this is again" Raynar said sheepishly despite his attempt to sound confident, "I'm afraid I've never been briefed on this device." The Aggron didn't seem to be suspicious of Raynar's performance and his reaction confirmed it; "That's no surprise that you don't know what it is, as you're the first to obtain it" he replied, pointing at the device, "That is the R/E-1A Electric Discharge Rifle, I just call it a shock rifle though, it's an advanced, long-range weapon utilizing electricity, today is to be its field test, and I expect it to go smoothly… for your sake…" The Aggron walked off towards the town square, leaving Raynar with four shock rifles, three of which were grabbed by three others, Raynar shouldering the fourth as they moved to the town square.

Raynar entered the town square and stood on the perimeter with the guards. He looked around and spotted Eva, Derek, and Andre in the crowd gathered behind the guards and sighed in relief that they were safe for now. "Presenting General Steele!" shouted a guard as the Aggron entered. "Bring forth the prisoners!" the General shouted as four prisoners, a Hitmonlee, a Sceptile, a Kecleon, and a Gardevoir were led out to the center of the square. Raynar's eyes widened in horror; the Gardevoir was Eva's mother, Elaina! The prisoners were pushed to their knees as General Steele began to speak. "These prisoners have been charged and proven guilty of sabotage, arson, and resistance against the new order" he said coldly, "thus we have reached a verdict on their sentence, and that sentence is execution by firing squad!" Raynar felt Eva's shock stab into him like a dagger through his soul. This was starting to get dangerous, and Raynar knew he would have to act soon; "You are welcome to say anything you wish as your last words" General Steele said sternly. Elaina raised her head to look straight into General Steele's eyes, her expression changing from one of defeat to one of determination and fearless resolve; "All I have to say is this…" she replied defiantly, "These are the words of a great champion from long ago. Even as we travel through these times of darkness, I will not fear, for even in the blackest of nights, one can always find the light!" General Steele was deeply moved by Elaina's unfaltering, if futile, courage in the face of death, but he had to carry out his orders, no matter what he thought of them. "Yes, I have heard the maxim of Raynar the Great, but even _his_ power wouldn't save you now" he replied coldly, "and even if it could, the last of his descendants died seventeen years ago, so I wouldn't get my hopes up…Troops! Ready!" The three guards and Raynar raised the shock rifles to firing position. "Aim!" the General shouted; the guards adjusted their sights as the low hum of the shock rifle's capacitors became audible.

Raynar could no longer afford to wait, it was now or never. Before General Steele could give the order to fire, Raynar ran in between the guards and the prisoners. "Stop!" he yelled, shifting the shock rifle's aim back and forth between each of the guards, "General, this has gone too far, stand down!" General Steele was astonished at the captain's sudden defiance; "What did you just say!?" he exclaimed. Raynar was losing his patience rapidly and he pointed the shock rifle at General Steele, charging it to full power. "Stand down!!!" he shouted furiously, slowly backing away. "You have forgotten your place Captain! Guards, arrest him!" the General shouted; the guards advanced on Raynar and restrained him before he could fight back. Raynar struggled as General Steele repeated his orders. Finally, he reached the end; "Fire!!!" the General shouted. "_NO!!!_" Raynar shouted as he broke free of the guards and fired an aura sphere at the guards; It hit three of the guards before they could fire but Raynar was too late, the fourth got off his shot before the aura sphere struck, the lethal arc of energy slamming into Elaina and killing her on impact.

Raynar could no longer contain his anger and despair, and released it in a violent explosion of hatred. He called upon the Steel Sash and used Aura Overdrive, his aura becoming so intense that his stolen uniform disintegrated from the radiant energy. General Steele shielded his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden flash and looked out in front of him with a mix of irritation and wonder. "What have we here?" he said in a cold tone, already anticipating a threat. Raynar turned to face the Cyclone General, raised his palm towards the guard on the General's left and used Psychic, sending the Machoke flying with a telekinetic pulse. The guards, more out of fear than loyalty, attacked Raynar in retaliation, only to end up getting slammed into a building; "Steele, you have awakened a power you cannot hope to contain" Raynar said in the same cold, metallic tone as the first time he used the Steel Sash, "Fight me, and if I win, you must retreat from this place, never to return…" General Steele was unaffected by Raynar's change of tone, but he could feel the air become charged with his power; "And if you lose…I'll have your head…" General Steele replied coldly, "Prepare for battle!"

Raynar didn't even wait for Steele's response as he rushed towards Steele to land the first blow. General Steele countered with Iron Defense to raise his defenses before striking the ground with Earthquake; Raynar jumped to avoid the attack and landed the first blow with Hi-Jump Kick. "Argh! What was that!?" Steele exclaimed in surprise but was even more shocked that Raynar had used the momentum from the first attack to turn back around for another attack; too late to counter, Steele was hit six times by Raynar's Hi-Jump Kick before Raynar finally touched back down. "You were _wrong_ about the power, it lives on through me!" he shouted as he fired a massive blast of Aura at Steele, sending the General flying into, and _through_, a building before he finally skidded to a grinding, screeching halt. Raynar knew it was all over now, he had won. "Get out of here!" he shouted to the Cyclone guards, who had by now regained consciousness. Upon seeing Steele unconscious, they picked up his limp form and fled with wild abandon. Raynar finally settled down and was brought to his knees, not by the sudden loss of energy but by the realization of what he had done. He had defeated an entire army by himself, but this small triumph was dwarfed by a great tragedy; He returned to the main square and realized Eva was not in the crowd. Raynar feared the worst and immediately began scanning for her aura before he finally found it, at the sea-side cliff just outside the town. Raynar knew that she was in crisis and ran with every ounce of strength he had to the cliff.

* * *

Raynar ran up to Eva to see her standing on the edge of the cliff and immediately realized what she intended to do, and he had to stop her at all costs. "Don't do it Eva!" he shouted to Eva, but she was indifferent to Raynar's attempt to dissuade her. "They killed her!" she exclaimed furiously, "and I did nothing to stop them!" Raynar knew it was going to be difficult to dissuade Eva, given her protective nature, but he had to try. "But Eva, think all of all that you'll never see or do, what about that!?" Raynar shot back. "That no longer matters to me! It's all over!" she shouted in despair. Raynar was left without options, but then he realized that she would've jumped already hadn't it been for one reason: Raynar himself. "Eva, there's one reason why I know you won't jump!" he exclaimed with a hint of desperation. "Really!? What is it!?" Eva shouted back; Eva was convinced in her own mind that Raynar didn't know what he was talking about, but her heart told her to listen, saying that she needed to hear what Raynar was about to say. Raynar found himself seizing up; he had only just discovered what he was about to tell Eva and he wasn't intending on telling her at all, but now he had no choice. "Eva…I won't let you jump, if you did I'd jump after you" Raynar said in a softer tone, "and that's because…I love you!" Eva heard Raynar's words and was petrified out of surprise, as she didn't know how to react; the world around her seemed to melt away, leaving only her and Raynar, and yet she didn't know how to react. In the midst of all her confusion, she suddenly realized that she had known all along, but failed to recognize it. Eva ran up to Raynar and held him in an embrace, crying bitterly; "I'm sorry I frightened you…" she said between tears. Raynar returned her embrace and gave a mental sigh of relief; he smiled warmly and held onto her, not wanting to let go, but then, Eva broke the embrace and looked into Raynar's eyes. "Raynar…thanks" Eva whispered before kissing Raynar; he tensed up for a moment as the suddenness of Eva's move settled down before returning her kiss.

(Just on a personal note, this is rated T, and I'm already pushing the boundaries of that rating so therefore I will not describe what happens next between Raynar and Eva [*Nudge-Nudge, Wink-Wink*] so in the meantime we'll see what's happening in the meantime back at Station Two ;) …)

Meanwhile, Derek and Andre had finally managed to arrive at the town square to find that they were too late; Derek immediately began talking to everybody he could, trying to find out what happened, but Andre walked over to Elaina's limp form, stopped not even an inch away and stared at her. Derek, finally noticing Andre's odd action, walked up beside Andre and could hear him muttering under his breath. "I'm sorry Elaina…you meant so much to me, and you still do…" he whispered softly, "Good bye my beloved friend…and thank you…for all the memories we shared…" Derek could understand the loss of a friend but then he looked at Andre again and realized that he was crying; only then did he understand that Andre and Elaina were extremely close and he began to wonder if they were more than friends when his mind drifted off to Raynar and Eva. Then he realized that they were missing; "Andre, Eva and Raynar are missing, we've got to find them!" Derek exclaimed, causing Andre to revert to his normal, more serious façade. "Let's go" Andre replied as he and Derek began their search.

Given their running speed, it didn't take Andre and Derek long to search every area of the town, at which point they realized that Eva and Raynar were not in the town itself, and so began to search the coastline. Derek then felt Raynar's aura and beckoned for Andre to follow. Derek knelt down behind a rock with Andre and peeked around the side, but he hadn't meant to see what he saw. His eyes widened in astonishment and he immediately came back around, his face blushing bright red; "Holy shit!" he whispered loudly. "What did you see?" Andre asked, intrigued as to what could embarrass Derek so easily; Derek whispered what he saw into Andre's ear and Andre rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. "Yep, he's his father's son alright…" Andre mused, only shocking Derek even more. "Wait a minute!" Derek replied, "Are you saying that his father was also seventeen the year was born!?" Andre nodded yes in response, causing Derek to promptly seize up and pass out. Andre chuckled somewhat and began dragging Derek back to Station Two. "Reminds me quite a bit of how I was seventeen years ago…" Andre thought, "Oh, sweet memories…"


	12. Chapter 11: On the Road Again

Chapter 11: On the Road Again

_It has been a week since Cyclone's attack on Station Two; Raynar and his companions have been working day-in and day-out to assist in the rebuilding efforts, but they cannot remain forever, as they must continue along their journey if they are to stop Cyclone. As for Raynar and Eva, they are now closer than ever, but although that is a good thing, it could also be dangerous, as some may try to exploit that as a weakness…_

As Station 2 grew ever more distant, Raynar tried to remain in good spirits but was constantly haunted by worry about Station2, Cyclone, but most of all, Eva; he had just barely managed to keep her from jumping off a cliff, and got much more than he bargained for in return. Derek constantly pestered Raynar about it; "So what exactly happened?" Derek teased Raynar in a knowing tone. Raynar was tempted to smack his younger cousin across the face but managed to restrain himself, despite Derek's needling. "What do you mean?" Eva asked Derek, not exactly sure what he meant. "You know, on that night, one week ago…" he replied in a mischievous tone. Eva blushed out of embarrassment and annoyance at his reply and responded by landing a Fire Punch right on the end of his nose. "OW!!! You didn't have to do _that_ did you!?" Derek exclaimed, rubbing his now sore nose. Eva smirked and replied in a taunting tone, "I don't know, did I _have_ to give a literal explanation of keep your _nose_ out of other people's business?" Raynar laughed at Eva's response; even though he said he would leave Eva and Derek off at Station 2, he had convinced himself that they would somehow be safer by staying with him, and so far, he didn't regret that decision. Derek smiled sheepishly and slowly fell in behind Raynar and Eva, thoroughly embarrassed by his apparent error. "Cheer up kid, you learned a valuable lesson" Andre said to Derek. "What, not to spy on others?" Derek replied sarcastically; "No", Andre replied, "it's not to get _caught_ spying on others…"

Later that night, after the others had all set up their tents and gone to sleep, Raynar remained awake; he was unsure of an odd feeling he had, that he was being watched. "It's unfortunate what befell you, and I'm sorry for your pain…" a voice whispered from behind Raynar. Raynar spun around and sure enough, Darkrai was there, leaning against a tree. "Darkrai, what brings you here?" Raynar whispered with a slight tremble to his voice; he had not forgotten their first encounter, and he was still wary of Darkrai's intentions. "Come Raynar we need to talk" Darkrai said, beckoning for Raynar to sit next to him. Raynar hesitated for a second then walked over to Darkrai and sat down. "So…what do we need to discuss?" Raynar asked in a low whisper, trying not to alarm the others as they slept. "Don't worry, as long as I'm in the area, your companions will not awaken" Darkrai replied in a normal tone. He sighed and continued, "Raynar, you have defeated the trio known as the Guardians of Aegis, but they are nothing compared to what you will soon face…" Raynar looked at Darkrai with a puzzled expression, wondering what Darkrai might mean. "Soon you will encounter the first of the Champions of Gaia" Darkrai continued, "And they are far more powerful than the Guardians of Aegis." Raynar was still in the dark as to what Darkrai might mean; "And who are the Champion's of Gaia?" he asked. "They are three entities that embody the powers of the land, the sea, and the sky" Darkrai replied, "their names have long been lost to history but I know their names." Raynar was still lost but he now had a vague idea of who these entities might be. "The first is Groudon, who embodies the land, then Kyogre, the embodiment of the sea, and finally Rayquaza, the incarnation of the sky and perhaps the strongest of them all…" Darkrai said in a grave tone, "All are dangerous however…"

Raynar shuddered at hearing those names, as he had heard them before and knew of their power, but to fight them in battle would be at best risky and at worst suicidal; he shook off the feelings of apprehension and stood up. Raynar was about to say something when he heard rustling in the bushes to his right. He screened them for aura and made out the aura of three beings, two of which he identified immediately as John and Westley. "We've got company!" Raynar exclaimed as he began charging his aura; Darkrai rose and held out a hand, firing a Dark Pulse at the thieves, who had r sprung from the bushes. John was about to strike when he saw Darkrai and stopped in his tracks; "D-D-Darkrai!" he exclaimed as he began to back away, Westley just behind him. "Hmph, he doesn't scare me…" said a sharp, feminine voice; Raynar spun around to find himself face to face with a Seviper, the third aura he had sensed! "Who are you!?" Raynar shouted; the Seviper hissed and swatted Raynar aside with her tail, the force of the impact incapacitating him. "The name is Scylla" she replied, "Surrender now." Raynar was in no condition to fight now, but Darkrai stepped in; "Fight me" he said in a low, threatening tone. Scylla hissed in reply and readied her tail blade, John and Westley on either side. "And so it begins…" Scylla hissed angrily.

Scylla launched herself at Darkrai, hoping to score an early hit, but finds herself striking at empty air. Darkrai reappeared behind John and used Faint Attack, scoring a direct hit. John was flung forward by the attack, but Westley had anticipated Darkrai's attack and struck back with Rolling Kick. Darkrai ducked underneath the attack and fired his Dark Pulse, launching Westley into John and knocking them _both_ out! Scylla looked at her two comrades and rolled her eyes; "Why do _I_ always end up doing the dirty work?" she muttered as she attacked Darkrai with Poison Tail. Darkrai didn't see the attack coming and was immediately subjected to a repeated onslaught of attacks; this had to end now! "You leave me with no choice…" he muttered, "_Dark Void!!!_" Darkrai unleashed Dark Void, slamming Scylla with hypnotic power and putting her into a deep sleep. Darkrai used a final Dark Pulse, knocking the three bandits flying up into the air and further inland. Seeing his work was done, Darkrai faded and disappeared into the night.

Raynar and the others awoke the next morning to a disaster area; "What the…How did this happen!?" Derek exclaimed, looking around him. While the others were in a panic, Raynar rolled his eyes and wondered why Darkrai didn't try to maintain a low profile the previous night. "C'mon, let's get back on the road again" Raynar said, getting up and beckoning for the others to follow. In response, the others immediately packed up the camp and followed Raynar further north. They didn't know where the road they took would lead them, nor did they care, for wherever it lead, it would bring them to their destinies…


	13. Chapter 12: The Ultimate Weapon

Chapter 12: The Ultimate Weapon

_As Raynar and his companions travel northward along the coast, now temporarily joined by Darkrai, they are optimistic about what lies ahead while remaining wary of their surroundings. Danger could lie anywhere, but Raynar and his companions are about to stumble right into the lair of the enemy. Meanwhile at a secret naval base, Cyclone's new superweapon is finally complete and ready to be unleashed._

"So explain again how we ended up with Darkrai by our side" Derek whined to Raynar. Raynar understood why the others didn't want Darkrai around, especially Andre, who mysteriously wasn't complaining at all, but he had only limited patience for Derek's whining; "Well _maybe_ you should've listened the last eight times!" Raynar shouted angrily to Derek. Derek lowered his head in shame, for he had asked _exactly_ eight times before, and he had to admit that he had to be getting on his cousin's nerves. "Darkrai" Raynar said, "Can you see something up ahead?" Darkrai floated above them, scanning out in front when he suddenly dropped down in front of them and blocked the way. "Stay low and keep it down, we've got company…"

Raynar ran forward and saw the cause for Darkrai's alarm: they had stumbled upon a Cyclone base! "Damn…just when I thought the worst had come to pass…" Raynar muttered; he ran back to the others as fast as he could. "A Cyclone Base lies just ahead" he said, "We need to plan our next move carefully, as I think it's time we struck them back for what they did at Station Two." Derek and Eva nodded in agreement, but Andre had his doubts. It was a miracle that the infiltration of Station Two had been successful and he wasn't sure that this would succeed, but he knew that Raynar's hatred towards Cyclone had made his resolve unconquerable; Raynar would attack with or without Andre's support. "Alright then…" Andre said with a tone of finality, something that Darkrai took note of. "Perhaps and indirect approach would serve us well…" Darkai said, looking at the base from the sky when he noticed an open window to one of the barracks. "This way…" he said, beckoning for the others to follow.

* * *

Raynar peeked into the barracks and saw nobody in there; "C'mon, let's go" he whispered, jumping in through the window. The others followed and saw Raynar put on the Cyclone comms set he stole at Station Two. "You still have that?" Derek asked in surprise. "Yes, it comes in handy when you want to eavesdrop on Cyclone…" he whispered, keeping the voice feed on mute to conceal his presence as he looked around the barracks and found a set of uniforms. "Not again!" Derek whined as he was handed one and told to put it on. "Would you rather be captured?" Raynar replied; he knew this was extremely risky, but the uniforms would at least help them blend in. Once everybody had a uniform, Raynar turned to Darkrai. Darkrai knew that he would look out of place no matter what, but he had an idea; he faded into the ground and into Raynar's shadow, blending in with it. Raynar nodded to his shadow to acknowledge he understood and began to walk out of the barracks when Derek grabbed his shoulder. "No heroics this time" he whispered. Raynar nodded and walked out of the barracks.

Raynar barely took three steps when Cade and Darman showed up on either side. "Nice try Raynar, but we've found out how to identify you" Darman said in a condenscending tone. Raynar was about to fight back when Cade gestured to Raynar's companions, who were already surrounded by guards. Darkrai suddenly emerged from Raynar's shadow and blasted the attackers away with a blast of dark energy. Cade and Darman leapt to evade the attack and landed about twenty feet away. "It's Darkrai!" Cade shouted, "We're in _big_ trouble now!" Darman knew there were many reasons to fear Darkrai's power, but he had to hold him off somehow. "Sound the alarm!" he shouted to a Machoke who upon hearing the order ran to a switchbox on the side of a building and pressed a large red button. The loud wail of a siren could be heard throughout the base and Cyclone scrambled to find out the threat. Cade and Darman were about to press the attack when they were both knocked out by Raynar's Aura Sphere; "Let's tear this dump apart!" he shouted as he fired another Aura Sphere at a building, bringing it crashing to the ground. All at once, Raynar and his companions began to attack everything in sight, destroying buildings and equipment en mass.

Meanwhile, an Alakazam working as a scientist for Cyclone exited his laboratory building to the carnage outside. He was absolutely horrified by the sight and ran out to see what was happening. He saw a Machoke running towards him and stopped him. "What happened!?" he shouted to the terrified Machoke. "We're under attack, but it's no use, everything we throw at 'em doesn't do a thing! We've tried _everything_!" he replied. The Alakazam knew that they had _not_ tried everything; there was one weapon in their arsenal that would defeat the threat with absolute certainty. "Not everything, there's one left…" the Alakazam said in a grave tone. The Machoke's eyes widened in horror; "No, you don't mean…" he exclaimed, "No! _Anything_ but that one!" Alakazam nodded in reply and yelled to his colleague back inside the building. "The time is now, unleash XM-2!"

* * *

Raynar looked at the scene before him; most of Cyclone's base had been annihilated within two hours, and his work was done. "Well done everyone, we've avenged Station Two!" he shouted. Suddenly, he saw an object flying towards them at high speed; it flew overhead and landed about ten feet from Raynar. It stood up, sunlight reflecting off of its dull grey armor, and turned around. "What the…what _is_ that!?" Eva exclaimed. Then, the creature raised its three-fingered hand toward Raynar and caught him in a powerful telekinetic grasp; "You made a mistake coming here" it said in a deep voice, "Now you will know my _true_ power!" Raynar could feel a vice-like grip closing on his throat, and he struggled in vain to break free, but to no avail. "Stop this and fight someone of your own caliber!" Darkrai shouted as he appeared from Raynar's shadow once again. The creature dropped Raynar from his grip and replied, "Very well then, you shall regret ever hearing my name: Mewtwo!"

Darkrai rushed forward at Mewtwo. He raised his arm for a Shadow Claw attack when Mewtwo raised a barrier, rendering the attack useless. Immediately, he retaliated with an Aura Sphere at point blank range. Darkrai cried out in pain as he was flung into the air by Mewtwo's attack. By the time he recovered, Mewtwo was already attacking again with Mega Punch. Darkrai was hit again and was slammed into the ground. He got back up and fired Dark Pulse at his adversary, who easily stopped it with his barrier and sent the attack back at Darkrai, hitting him with his own attack! Darkrai struggled to get back up when he was hit by another of Mewtwo's Aura Spheres. By the time Mewtwo dropped back down to his foe's level, Darkrai was struggling to get up. "Get up; it is the strong who survive!" Mewtwo taunted; Darkrai was filled with rage as he called upon the deepest reserves of his power. "You leave me no choice Mewtwo!" he shouted angrily as he got up, a glowing energy blade forming in his hand. He raised his hand high in the air and shouted "Spacial Rend!" He flung the arc of energy at Mewtwo and struck with deadly accuracy, destroying Mewtwo's armor. Now unarmored, Mewtwo shrugged off the attack and looked at his opponent. He picked Darkrai up in a telekinetic grasp and fired a Hyper Beam. By the time the attack ceased, Darkrai was gone; Mewtwo turned to the other targets to find that they had disappeared.

* * *

Raynar, Eva, Derek, and Andre had escaped by the skin of their teeth. They had done irreparable damage to Cyclone's base, but at the cost of Darkrai's life. Raynar would never forget his sacrifice, and he now hated Cyclone even more and with even greater vengeance. "Look out Cyclone" Raynar thought, "Here I come!"


	14. Chapter 13: A Dark Discovery

Chapter 13: A Dark Discovery

_Raynar and his companions have sacked one of Cyclone's bases and have damaged it beyond all repair. Tragedy struck however, as Cyclone unleashed Project XM-2, also known as Mewtwo, who seemingly annihilated Darkrai in a heated, albeit brief battle to the death. Now Raynar, Eva, Derek, and Andre are on the run from Mewtwo, who will not stop hunting them down until either they or him are dead. As bad as the situation may be, it is about to get even worse; not too far away from their present location, the Leader of Cyclone has dispatched his enforcer, a warrior so skilled and so powerful that he could be more than a match for Raynar, at least until Andre comes to an astonishing realization: This warrior has something to do with Aranam K'Tal's disappearance 17 years ago..._

"C'mon! We can't let him catch us!" Raynar shouted as he ran along a seaside cliff, Eva, Derek and Andre right behind him. Eva stumbled slightly and Derek helped her up while Andre watched behind them. Raynar motioned for the others to follow as he climbed down the cliff face and found an outcropping. Eva and Derek followed suit, but Andre stood at the top, keeping guard until he felt it was safe to climb down to the others

Mewtwo had been following the saboteurs for quite some time now. "They're good…very good…" he thought as he scanned ahead of him with his telepathy. Finally he picked them up and flew after them when suddenly, he lost them. He arrived at the edge of a cliff and looked over the side. It was a long way down to the sea, too far to survive jumping in, never mind the rocks at the bottom. Convinced his prey was finished, Mewtwo turned around and flew back in the direction of the ruined base, confident that there would be no more interference in his masters' plans.

* * *

Raynar could no longer sense Mewtwo's aura and breathed a sigh of relief. "We lost him" Raynar said in hushed tone. Eva and Derek relaxed as well, but Andre was still on alert. Raynar didn't notice this however, and began climbing back up the cliff from their hiding spot. Eva _did_ notice Andre's apprehension; "What is it, do you sense something?" she asked. "It's nothing…" Andre replied, "It's just that…something isn't right, but I'm not sure what…" Eva shrugged and started climbing back up after Raynar and Derek, Andre just behind her. Upon reaching the top, Raynar scanned the surrounding area and ensured that they were all safe. "Alright, we need to plan our next route…" he said, "any suggestions?" Derek shrugged and leaned against a tree, not quite sure what to say when he felt the ground beneath him shift. Suddenly it gave way and Derek fell down a hole, screaming and cursing as he bumped against the walls. Raynar, Eva and Andre looked down into the hole in stunned surprise; "Derek! Can you hear me?" Raynar shouted down. No response. "Dammit!" he thought; "Hang on Derek, I'm coming down there!" Raynar shouted just before jumping into the hole. "Raynar, don't!" Eva shouted, too late to make a difference; "Damn!" she thought as she jumped in after him. Andre looked down the hole and shook his head; "No way!" he shouted "I'm staying right here!" Andre thought for a few seconds more and shouted, "Oh, to Hell with this!" Andre turned around and leapt into the hole, not sure what to expect.

* * *

Derek woke up and rubbed his head. "Ow, why did I have to land on my head?" he thought when suddenly he felt as if he had entered a whole different world; he was in a cave lit by the eerie blue glow of many luminescent crystals. "Will you look at _that_!" he thought in amazement. He stood up and looked around a little bit before walking over to one of the crystals. He placed his palm against it and felt a radiant energy emitting from the crystal; that energy immediately told him what it was and Derek's heart began to race from excitement. "This…t-this…" he stammered, "this is _adamantite_!" Derek looked all around him at the glowing adamantite crystals. "I'm set for _life_!" he thought ecstatically when suddenly he took note that some of the crystal's glow had changed from blue to red. Then Derek made out the silhouette of a Lucario standing in front of him. Thinking it was Raynar, Derek moved closer but immediately froze upon getting close enough to see his features. It looked _a lot _like Raynar in almost every aspect, but somehow it wasn't him; he wore black armor around his legs, forearms and torso and wore a swirling, tattered cloak. Then the figure drew some sort of weapon; It was a dual tri-spear, a double-ended spear with three points on each end, the blades were of adamantite and glowed a bright scarlet. "Oh shit!" Derek thought as the figure advanced towards him before everything suddenly went blank.

Andre woke up and slowly forced himself to his feet; "Not _again_…" he thought in annoyance, "hadn't I fallen down enough holes for _one_ lifetime?" When his eyes adjusted to the low light, Andre was struck cold in awe at what was around him. "Adamantite!" he thought, "I've never seen _this_ much of it in one place…this is quite a discovery!" He looked around him and realized that this cavern was massive, and that he was in one of several chambers. "Derek can't be far from here, I'd best start looking for him…" he thought as he exited into one of the tunnels he thought led to a lower chamber. The tunnel was also covered in adamantite crystals that glowed a light violet as he passed close to them. "Oh yes, I remember now…" he thought as he continued down the tunnel, "adamantite glows when a living creature draws near, and the color depends on their aura…a curious substance…" Andre exited into a chamber that was indeed lower than the others and looked around when he noticed a very familiar figure. "Derek!" he shouted as he ran to towards him. Derek was barely conscious and was tied to a large adamantite crystal. Andre was by Derek's side when Derek said weakly, "G-get out of here…" Andre didn't understand what he meant but knew that Derek had obviously been attacked, but then it struck him that the attacker may still be near. "Behind you…" Derek muttered before passing out, and which Andre spun around only to get a glimpse of the attacker before he was struck in the head and knocked out.

Raynar woke up in a lot of pain. "Wait a minute, if I landed on my back, why does my chest hurt?" he thought when he realized Eva had fallen on top of him. "You okay Eva?" Raynar asked as Eva slowly got up off of him. "Yeah…" she replied, "sorry I landed on top of you." Raynar rose to his feet and dusted himself off; "Apology accepted" he replied as he looked around him, "Eva! Look!" Eva turned her attention to her surroundings and was at a loss for words. "Strange gems, glowing in the dark…" Eva thought, "Hmm…" Raynar placed his palm on a crystal and felt its energy resonate with his. "Adamantite!" he exclaimed, "This entire cavern is filled with it!" Eva stared at the crystals in amazement. "This is all adamantite!?" she exclaimed, "I've never seen a deposit so large!" Raynar was amazed as well but knew that they had a more important job. "Eva, we have to find Derek, and Andre if he followed us" Raynar said, beckoning for Eva to follow. "Right" Eva replied as she walked over to Raynar, who was staring at three paths. "Which one do we take?" Eva asked; Raynar closed his eyes and let his aura flow through him. He sensed Derek and Andre's auras deeper in, along with a trace of something more. "This way" Raynar said, walking into the center tunnel, Eva following behind him.

Raynar and Eva followed the tunnel into an even larger chamber with a large adamantite crystal in the center, and tied to it were Derek and Andre. "Derek! Andre!" Raynar shouted as he ran to their sides. He tried to undo the ropes, but they didn't even move; they were stronger than any rope Raynar had seen before as he couldn't even get close to removing them. "What happened?" Raynar asked Derek. "It's…a trap Raynar…get out of here…" he said weakly. Raynar was about to protest when he felt another aura, a very strong aura, almost overflowing with energy. Eva cried out suddenly and Raynar turned around to find her bound by the same ropes that held Derek and Andre! "Eva!" Raynar shouted as he ran to Eva's side.

The aura was stronger now, its source closer, the glow of the crystals in the cavern turning from blue to red. Raynar looked up from Eva and saw the aura's source: another Lucario, wearing some type of armor and a cloak. The fur on the back of his neck stood on end at the sight of the apparition, and he felt an almost overwhelming fear sweep through him. The Lucario drew a dual tri-spear, its adamantite blades glowing brightly in the darkness of the cavern. The Lucario leapt in the air and attacked Raynar with his spear. Raynar quickly stepped back and to the side, barely evading the lethal arc the spear's blade. His adversary slashed at him with the other blade, which Raynar blocked this time. "Who are you!?" Raynar shouted at his opponent as he wrestled with the spear, trying to disarm the latter. "A shadow, nothing more, nothing less…" the other Lucario replied in a voice so cold and calm it sent chills up Raynar's spine. Raynar continued to try to wrestle the spear from the other's hands as he replied, "And does this shadow have a name?" The other Lucario remained silent. He kicked Raynar back and got the spear back into his hands before charging towards his fallen opponent. Just as he was about to be impaled on the spear, Raynar rolled out of the way and swept with his leg, knocking his adversary off his feet. The other Lucario quickly sprang to his feet, Raynar doing the same as again the former slashed at Raynar. Raynar again grabbed at the shaft of the spear and was again locked with his opponent, desperately trying to disarm the opponent. Both pushed hard and suddenly the shaft of the spear snapped in half, releasing a pulse of energy that flung both of them back into the opposite walls.

Andre had been watching the contest in horror, but upon seeing the spear snap he remembered something from his past. "Of course! Aranam's spear could regenerate itself as well! That means Raynar can use it himself!" Andre thought when suddenly a feeling of dread overcame him, "then that means that…oh no…" Andre looked at Raynar and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that the latter was conscious. "Raynar!" Andre shouted, "Channel your aura into the spear!" Raynar heard Andre, looked at the broken spear and realized that when his opponent wasn't touching it, the blade no longer glowed, and that told him that now _he_ might be able to turn his opponent's weapon against him! He got up and grabbed the half of the spear; he let himself grow calm and focused his aura into a single point in his palm before slowly releasing it into the weapon in his hand. Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked at the spear, which had completely regenerated its other half, its blades glowing a bright blue from his aura. His opponent was also up and had regenerated their own weapon as well when for the first time in the battle; his adversary was caught off guard. "Impressive…_very_ impressive…" he said in the same, cold voice, "but is it enough?" Raynar and his opponent circled each other and held back aggressive moves until they could determine each other's skill for certain. After a few tense moments, they attacked at the same time, the spears colliding with a loud crash. The two of them constantly struck and parried for several minutes when Raynar saw an opening and exploited it. He slashed with the spear, striking his opponent's flank. "Argh!" the Lucario cried out as he fell, clutching his side. "Now to finish you!" Raynar shouted as he charged an aura sphere on the tip of the spear. He fired the aura sphere with incredible accuracy, knocking his adversary away. His adversary slowly rose to his feet and said, "You truly _are_ a threat to our plans…remember my name: Axxon." The Lucario disappeared, leaving Raynar and his companions alone.

* * *

"Damn am I glad _you_ weren't ambushed, or we'd all be dead by now!" Derek exclaimed as he stretched after being untied. Raynar nodded and untied Eva. "You alright?" he asked. "I'll live…" Eva replied as she got up and got to work untying Andre. "That warrior, Axxon, he _must_ have something to do with Aranam's disappearance…that was _his_ weapon he had…" Andre said, struggling to breath. "What!?" Raynar exclaimed, "How?" Andre gestured to Raynar's spear; "Your father carried the same type of weapon…" he replied as he got to his feet. "You can explain yourself more on the way out" Raynar said as he pointed down another tunnel, "that way." With that said and done, Raynar and his companions continued through the cavern to the supposed exit, unsure of what lay ahead, but confident that they could take anything thrown in their way.


	15. Chapter 14: Shadow of Doubt

Chapter 14: Shadow of Doubt

_After a brutal struggle with the mysterious Axxon, Raynar discovered that Andre knew a lot more about him, and obvious his father, than he originally let on. His faith in Andre was somewhat shaken by this as the latter explains himself on the way out of the Adamantite Cavern, but this also affects his trust in everyone else. Soon, he may reach his breaking point..._

Raynar and his companions continue walking down the long, dark tunnel that Raynar suspected would lead them out in tense silence, occasionally interrupted by the voices of Raynar and Andre. "So let me get this straight, you knew my father?" Raynar asked Andre. "Yes, I have…" he replied softly, "Aranam was a close friend of mine…" Raynar was puzzled by this; it explained why Andre followed him earlier, but it didn't explain why Andre was so evasive on the subject of Aranam K'Tal. "I see…but why is it that every time I ask about him, you have to be evasive?" Raynar replied. Andre paused for a second to think about his answer; "I avoid the subject because I prefer not to talk about him…" Andre said sternly. Raynar was getting impatient with Andre; he felt he had the right to know who his father was, and more importantly, what was his fate. "Yes, but I have the right to know" Raynar replied with a slight edge of impatience to his aura. "Yes but it is _not_ your right to question me on that which I do not wish to tell" Andre shot back forcefully, "I will reveal what I wish to reveal, nothing more." This infuriated Raynar; if Andre knew anything about his father, he had to know, even if it meant forcing it out of him. "Well I at _least_ have the right to know what happened to him!" he retorted angrily. "_Enough!_" Andre shouted forcefully, but then he realized that he had just made a huge mistake. Raynar struck him under the jaw with Force Palm, knocking Andre flying back ten feet. "What happened to my father!? Is he even _alive_!?" Raynar shouted angrily to Andre as the latter struggled to his feet. Andre realized that Raynar was even more like his father than he first thought, stubborn and reckless; he had no choice but to tell the enraged Lucario the bitter truth as far as he knew. "Raynar…" he responded, his voice trembling, "Y-your father…" Andre shook his head and fought back tears from painful memories as he struggled to finish his reply. "Y-your father...is dead…"

Everything seemed like a dream to Raynar; he heard what Andre said, but could not believe that his efforts were all for nothing. "No…no! That can't be true!" he exclaimed. "Raynar, please understand…" Andre replied in a vain attempt to ease the shock Raynar felt, "I was there on the day he disappeared, and he told me that if he failed to return by sunset, then he was probably dead, and to leave him behind…" Raynar felt a pent-up rage surge and explode within him; "Liar! You abandoned him!" he shot back furiously, "How could I have trusted you!? Some friend _you_ were!" Raynar was about to attack Andre again when he felt a powerful grip on him that stopped him in his tracks; it was Eva, holding him back with telekinesis! "Let go of me Eva!" Raynar shouted, but Eva would not release him. "If I let you attack him, you'll only end up in more pain!" she replied frantically, but Raynar would not listen; he charged up his aura and released it in a powerful blast that overwhelmed Eva and knocked her to the ground. Raynar's eyes widened in horror upon realizing what he had just done; he was looking right into Eva's eyes and saw them filled with fear towards him. "What have I done!?" he thought; he couldn't stand to face Eva after striking her down. He turned away and ran as fast as he could into the tunnel. "Raynar! Wait!" Eva shouted, but Raynar had obviously not heard her. In desperation, she ran after him; "I feel your pain Raynar, and it is great" she thought, "but I won't let you destroy yourself!"

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, Raynar exited the tunnel and collapsed to his knees. "How is it possible!?" he thought, "My father…how could he be dead!" He felt both disbelief and hatred towards Andre, no more than a deceitful coward in his mind; he just couldn't believe how easily he had been deceived, even though Andre had saved him twice. He stood on his feet again and continued on his way for no particular reason; nothing made sense anymore. "Why did he betray me?" he thought, "and why did I attack Eva?" As he was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed that he as being followed.

He evaded the strike not a moment too soon; a blade slammed into the ground where he was standing just an instant before. Raynar was struck to the ground from behind by an unseen foe. "You have no idea how much trouble you've put us through to catch up!" a familiar voice shouted from behind him. Raynar struggled to his feet and identified the source of the voice: the bandits, John, Westley and Scylla. "Do you _ever_ give up!?" Raynar shouted back before he was struck down again, this time by Westley's Hi-Jump Kick. "By the time we're through with you, you'll regret ever getting in our way…if you survive!" Westley replied with a malevolent edge to his voice. Scylla wrapped Raynar and pointed her tail-blade to his throat. "Say goodbye…" she hissed angrily. Raynar looked at the blade pointed to his throat; "This is it…" he thought, "it's all over…"

* * *

Eva ran through the tunnel as fast as she could but knew that Raynar could easily run twice as fast as she could. She stopped and tried to catch her breath; "there has to be another way…" she thought when suddenly an idea occurred to her. She had learned to teleport to places she could see when reading the minds of others, but she knew that it wouldn't be easy, as Raynar typically never let her read his mind. "I have to try…" she thought as she reached out to Raynar and homed in on him. "Raynar, please show me where you are…" she said via telepathy. She waited a few seconds and heard Raynar's response, "no, I can't let you into my mind…" Eva rolled her eyes; Raynar was as stubborn as ever, but she had to get through to him somehow. "Raynar…I understand how you feel, I want to help you…" she replied. "Eva, no…" Raynar responded, "I…I don't want to hurt you…" Eva was caught off guard; how could letting her into his mind hurt her? She knew that he had some very frightening memories, but she was interested in his present, _not_ his past. "Raynar…" she replied, "I don't want _you_ to hurt _yourself_. Please, just trust me…" It seemed to be an eternity before Raynar finally responded to her, "Alright, here it goes…" and dropped his mental screen for her for the first time. Eva probed through his thoughts until she saw where he was; he was just outside the tunnel and under attack, the situation looked bleak. "Hang on Raynar, I'm coming!" she thought as she focused on the mental image, placing herself within it. A mere instant later, she disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Raynar's vision began to fade as his life was literally choked out of him; he was too weak to struggle against Scylla's grip, and would soon lose consciousness altogether. Suddenly, something flashed behind Westley; John noticed and saw that Eva had appeared behind his comrade! "Westley! Behind you!" he shouted frantically, but it was too late. As soon as Westley turned around he was slammed in the chin by Eva's Fire Punch and sent him flying over John's head and onto the ground, flat on his back. "Owowow…What was that!?" he moaned as John pulled him back to his feet. "It was the bastard's girlfriend…" John replied in a low tone as he looked on at Eva, who had by now turned her attention to Scylla. "Careful or your little boyfriend goes out for good!" Scylla taunted to an enraged Eva. "_Let him go!!!_" Eva shouted angrily as her eyes began to glow. Scylla suddenly felt a powerful grip on her body that was loosening her grip on Raynar. "Huh!? What…What's going on!?" she exclaimed as her grip was loosened enough that Raynar was released. She was lifted into the air; Eva then gestured with her right arm towards John and Westley and Scylla was flung into them, knocking them all to the ground. "That was a Psychic attack!" John thought as he pushed Scylla off of him and got up to fight. "Oh, so you wanna dance?" John taunted as he extended his claws to full length, "Let's dance!" Eva called on the floral pendant given to her by Celebi and donned her leaf armor. She ran over to Raynar and grabbed the dual tri-spear that he had obtained in the cavern off of his back, the blades glowing a bright pink-violet from her aura. "Your move…" she taunted.

John charged at Eva with both claws enveloped in dark energy for a rushing attack with Shadow Claw. Eva stabbed the spear into the ground and pushed herself up, vaulting over John's head as he ran past. She landed and fired a Focus Blast from her palm. John used Double Team and faded from view for an instant before he appeared right behind Eva and struck her with Faint Attack. Eva spun out of the way fast enough to ensure that the attack was a glancing blow, but it was very painful nonetheless. John attacked again with another flurry of Shadow Claw attacks, Eva parrying each strike with Raynar's spear. After parrying the eighth or so attack by John, Eva pushed John's claw to the side, leaving her adversary wide open to attack. She landed a Fire Punch right in the middle of his chin and launched him back towards his allies, where he landed in a heap.

Raynar had regained consciousness just in time to see Eva defeat John with her Fire Punch and was nothing short of amazed. "She _has_ changed since two years ago…" he thought, "I never thought she could be this powerful!" He looked at the three defeated bandits then looked back at Eva when he realized that she wasn't finished with them yet. Her eyes began to glow again and she lifted her arms to either side until they were parallel to the ground. Her Psychic attack pulled large rocks and boulders up from the ground. John looked on at the boulders floating next to Eva and immediately knew what they were intended for. Before he could do anything however, Eva gestured with both arms towards the bandits, sending the boulders flying at them at high speed. They slammed into the bandits and sent them all flying.

Eva stood there for a short time as the glow faded from her eyes. She felt disoriented from the use of so much power and felt her legs grow weak. She fell back, but to her surprise, somebody had caught her fall. She looked up and smiled at Raynar, who had caught her in his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked; "I'll live…Eva replied wryly as Raynar helped her to her feet. "Eva…that was incredible! How did you learn to fight like that!?" he exclaimed, holding her steady as she reoriented herself. "Well, a young Riolu told me years ago that you can do amazing things" she replied with a warm smile, "When it's for someone you care about…" Raynar smiled; _he_ was the one who had said that to her all those years ago.

"Eva, thank you…" he replied when he noticed two others approaching from the tunnel. Derek and Andre had followed the tunnel and finally came out to the exit. "Raynar! Eva!" Derek exclaimed as he ran up to them, "Thank Arceus you're alright!" Raynar nodded at Derek then noticed Andre slowly walking up to him, his head held low in shame. "Raynar…I'm sorry, you were right…" he said in a low tone, "I should have told you before, I don't know how you can trust me ever again…" Raynar paused for a few moments as he thought about all that had happened. He had been way out of line back in the tunnel, even if Andre hadn't been entirely trustworthy. "No, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have struck you…" he replied sternly, "but there _is_ one point where you're wrong, my father is _not_ dead…" He held out his hand in front of Andre. "Friends?" he asked, still holding out his hand. Andre paused for a few seconds before he placed one foot in Raynar's hand. "Friends…" he replied.


	16. Chapter 15: The Abyss

Chapter 15: The Abyss

_Although Raynar and Andre have settled their differences, the group must continue north due to their other problem: Cyclone, who continues to pursue them even now. With Cade, Darman and Mewtwo hot on their trail, Raynar is left with few options when Derek makes an unwitting comment that gives him an idea: what better way to evade Cyclone than to take the route they least expect? It is this idea that will take Raynar and his friends into the abyss…_

Mewtwo, Cade and Darman were getting frustrated; they knew that Raynar and his companions had continued along the northern coast at least so far, but they couldn't know if they had continued to stick to the coast or had retreated inland to the east. "Are you sure they went this way?" Darman asked Mewtwo. "They absolutely went this way, I'm certain of it" Mewtwo replied with a hint of irritation. "Right, that's what you said when you lost them earlier!" Darman replied sarcastically, "you said they jumped off a cliff!" Mewtwo was beginning to lose his patience; they _had_ jumped off a cliff, and it still eluded him as to how they survived, but that wasn't important at the moment. "Besides, it's impossible for you to be so certain!" Darman taunted. "It's impossible with your methods and technology, but it's all nothing next to my power" Mewtwo replied flatly. Darman couldn't help but be amused when it occurred to him that he was being threatened. "Your delusions of your own power don't intimidate me XM-2, now cut that out!" Darman shot back. With that, Mewtwo lost his patience with his superior. He held out his hand and clenched it into a fist. Darman felt a vice-like grip tighten around his throat and lift him into the air. "I find your lack of faith disturbing…" Mewtwo said coldly. "Mewtwo, that's enough, put him down!" Cade shouted forcefully. "Very well…" he replied with a slight smirk; just to spite Darman, Mewtwo used his telekinesis to fling him back into a tree. Darman staggered back to his feet; Mewtwo was technically inferior in rank to him and Cade, but the thing that scared him was that he was so powerful that virtually nobody could tell him what to do, save their ultimate superior, whom even he hadn't seen in person.

"C'mon guys! We can't let them catch up!" Raynar shouted. Eva Derek and Andre ran behind him, struggling to keep up. They had been running from Cyclone for three days now after the encounter in the Adamantite Cavern with Axxon, a mysterious warrior who seemed to have something to do with Aranam K'Tal. "Hold it Raynar; don't you think that they would expect us to go this way?" Derek shouted back. At that Raynar stopped and turned around; "As if you have a better suggestion?" he replied sarcastically. "No, but all I'm saying is at this rate we'll never elude them!" Derek shot back, "and if you think we'll get away anytime soon, you might as well dunk your head in the Arcceonn Straight!" Raynar was about to reply with more sarcasm when he had an epiphany. "The Arcceonn Straight…that's it! Derek, you're a _genius_!" Raynar exclaimed ecstatically. Derek's eyes widened in surprise; "Uh…Raynar, I'm not following you here…" he said, tilting his head in curiosity. "Wait! I get it!" Eva exclaimed, "we jump into the sea!" She used the floral pendant and created a set of four rebreathers similar to the set from earlier. She handed one to each of them and put the last in her mouth, the others doing the same with theirs. "Alright, this will be very dangerous guys, but we can handle this" Raynar said, the others nodded in reply. "May Arceus be with us!" he shouted before he backflipped over the edge of the cliff and dove head-first into the sea. Eva followed soon after, but Derek hesitated. "This isn't a good idea…" he muttered when suddenly he felt something against his back. "Get in there!" Andre shouted as he pushed Derek off before jumping in after him.

Derek opened his eyes to see that he was under water. Raynar was clearly visible ahead of him, the glow of his spear illuminating the water around him. He signed for the others to follow him downwards, at which Derek looked below him. The water was deep blue below him, showing that they were nowhere near the bottom. "Shit…" he thought, knowing that they would have to dive deep. Nevertheless, the four of them swam downwards, continuing until they reached the bottom about five hundred feet down. Fortunately, the Arcceonn Straight didn't get much deeper than that, which meant Raynar knew they wouldn't have to go any further, at least until he noticed what appeared to be a crevice below them. "What could be down there?" he thought as he signed for the others to follow him while he slowly descended into the chasm. Andre was about to follow along with the others when he had an odd feeling of foreboding, never a good sign for an Absol, being that they could sense disasters.

At the end of the chasm, Raynar and Eva arrived in what appeared to be a vast underwater chamber, at the back of which lay a pedestal and a large tablet with Unown writing inscribed upon it. Derek and Andre followed them in, the former starting to move towards the other end of the chamber when Andre stopped him. He sensed that there was something else at work here, something powerful. Nevertheless, Raynar approached the pedestal in the back slowly until he was in view of the tablet. "The mighty strength of the sea knows no limits, nor does the power contained within an orb of the same. Do not approach any closer, lest you face the wrath of the Master of the Waves…" Raynar read, trying to decipher its meaning. He moved a slight bit closer when he noticed a faint red glow. He looked at the walls on all sides and noticed glowing red lines that seemed to flow towards an area just in front of the tablet. They all met at a central point in a pattern resembling the Unown letter "A" somewhat. Andre realized that the danger he had sensed was not only near, but far greater than he had sensed, he quickly grabbed Raynar and pulled him back just before a blinding light engulfed the chamber.

Raynar quickly shut his eyes to avoid being blinded, but that did nothing to ease the shock he experienced upon seeing what was before him. "AAARRRAAARRRRGGGHHHH!" something roared from in front of him just before a large unidentified pokemon appeared. "Who dares to disturb me!" it shouted angrily when its yellow eyes rested on Raynar's spear. The lines on its body gave off a red glow as it became enraged. "You dare desecrate this place!" it roared, "I'll show you the error of your ways!" Raynar and the others were stunned, afraid of the creature yet wondering why it was angry at _them_. "Hold it! What did we do!" Derek exclaimed when he realized too late that he was only making it angrier. "You dare attempt to deceive me! You know what you've done!" it retorted, "You have stolen the Blue Orb from its rightful place on the shrine!" Raynar realized that it was referring to the orb mentioned on the tablet, and then it hit him. "Who are you?" he asked, trying not to sound afraid, despite knowing that he was staring death in the face. "I am Kyogre, King of the Depths!" it shouted angrily, "You were a fool to return!" Only now did Andre realize what he had sensed, but it was too late. Kyogre released a powerful shockwave through the water and before they could move, Eva, Derek and Andre were frozen solid. "Eva!" Raynar exclaimed in horror but was cut short when he realized Kyogre would turn his attention to him next. "I have no idea what you're talking about Kyogre…" he replied, "but regardless of that, anyone who attacks my friends is asking for trouble!" He wielded his spear, pointing a glowing blade towards Kyogre as he readied for the next attack.

Kyogre opened his mouth and launched a Hyper Beam in Raynar's direction, which Raynar evade by mere inches. The blast slammed into a wall, blasting debris into the water and obscuring both of their vision. Raynar tried to reorientate himself when he heard a high-pitched noise. Kyogre was trying to locate Raynar via a type of sonar, and Raynar knew that the debris would only hide him for a minute or so. He closed his eyes, allowing his aura to reach out and sense Kyogre. The giant pokemon's aura glowed brightly, further emphasizing his power. Raynar fired an Aura Sphere back at Kyogre, striking a glancing blow but probably only angering him further along with giving away his position. Kyogre retaliated with Water Pulse, launching a powerful ultrasonic pulse through the water. Raynar was disorientated again, but by using Kyogre's aura as a guide he quickly righted himself. "This is bad…" he thought, "I have to finish this battle before it gets out of hand!" Kyogre turned towards him and charged at him with Double-Edge. Raynar seized the opportunity and dodged just in time for the attack to miss. Kyogre went hurtling into a wall, taking heavy damage as it was struck by the resulting debris. A large boulder was about to fall on Kyogre, large enough to probably cause a near-fatal injury. Kyogre shut his eyes, braced for the impact when the boulder suddenly exploded, pelting him with the resulting gravel. He looked up and saw that Raynar had destroyed the boulder, shielding Kyogre despite taking a severe blow himself. "He shielded me!" he thought, "that can't be the same one, it's not possible!" Kyogre slowly backed away and released another shockwave, but to Raynar's surprise, it freed his companions!

"What!" he exclaimed, "You're letting us go!" Kyogre seemed to nod in reply. "You weren't the one who did this…" he replied flatly, "I apologize for doubting you." Raynar sighed in relief, glad that Kyogre didn't seem angry any longer. "However, you must promise me this" he continued, "you must find and return the Blue Orb before it falls into the wrong hands. The fate of the World depends on it." Raynar nodded slightly, not quite grasping what that meant and yet understanding it completely. "I fear however, that this is only the beginning" Kyogre said, "be warned, dark times lie ahead. Now go, retrieve the Orb!" Raynar nodded, as did the others just before they swam back out of the chasm.

Back on shore, Raynar and his companions were letting themselves dry off before they continue. "That was strange, why would Kyogre think I stole the Blue Orb?" Raynar asked himself. "Yeah…that _is_ strange…" Eva replied, overhearing Raynar, "but could Cyclone have something to do with this?" Raynar had already thought about that possibility, and had decided that it was likely, but not certain. "It's a possibility" he replied, "whether they are or not though, one thing's certain: if the Blue Orb is as powerful as I think it is, then that makes it that much more urgent that we retrieve it by any and all means necessary."


	17. Chapter 16: Turning Up the Heat

Chapter 16 – Turning Up the Heat

_Raynar and his companions escape from the underwater cavern upon learning of a disturbing event: The Blue Orb has been stolen. None of them are aware of the orb's actual significance, but they know that it is important based on Kyogre's rampage. Raynar knows that there are actually three orbs, the other two of which may still be in danger. Now he must set off to find the Red Orb, which contains the power of the land, and hopefully take it before it can be stolen. However, Cyclone and John's trio of bandits are on their tail, the former of which is particularly interested in the orbs. With that in mind, however, the true threat is in fact from the guardian of the orb, and after millennia of slumber, he's NOT in the best of moods…_

"So it seems that your efforts have succeeded so far?" asked Axxonn to Cade and Darman as they stood before him, Mewtwo just behind them. He doubted that the three of them would be able to succeed considering their track record against the biggest thorn in Cyclone's side in seventeen years, and yet somehow he was optimistic about the outcome of their mission. "Got you covered" Mewtwo replied as he placed a sphere in Axxonn's palm. The Blue Orb gave off a soft glow as Axxonn held it, reminding him of lying on the beach, and letting the waves wash over him…next to somebody he didn't recognize. _What! I don't remember that!_ Axxonn thought, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "My Lord, you alright?" Cade asked in a concerned tone. Axxonn snapped out of his daze and looked up at the questioning Scyther. "Yes, I'm fine…" he replied somewhat absently, "…carry on…"

"Dammit Raynar! I'm freezing my tail off here!" Derek exclaimed, rubbing his arms against himself furiously in an attempt to warm himself. Raynar had lead the four of them further north than anyone had ever been before in the region and had made it to the northwestern peninsula; the area was mountainous, with steep crags and sheer drops everywhere, and, coupled with the high altitude and low temperatures, proved to be virtually inhospitable. There were absolutely no signs of life…yet. "Shut up Derek! I'm trying to read the map!" Raynar shot back. In his hands he held a map of Arcceonn that he bought at a flea market two years prior, and he was starting to understand why it only cost him five poke. _Dammit, why did I waste five poke on a piece-of-shit map?_ he thought, _I didn't need it up until now, and this area has never been explored before…_ Eva, on the other hand, was irritated with Raynar and Derek's bickering, but she knew trying to intervene was never a good idea when it came to those two; long ago she had learned that boys will be boys. However, it was Andre that was the most furious of all, as he was still trying to make sense of the events involving Kyogre when suddenly he felt the snow around him shift slightly. _That's not good…_ he thought as he looked around, _these conditions are PERFECT for an avalanche…but nothing bad should happen to us, ESPECIALLY not right now…_ Suddenly, Derek finally lost his temper and screamed, "Raynar, Dammit! Just face it! We're LOST!" A loud echo radiated through the area, then a massive explosion followed by a low rumbling sound that grew louder with each second. The four of them looked up to the side to see a wall of white rushing down at them. "Avalanche!" Eva exclaimed as the four of the stumbled down the stumbled down the mountain as fast as their legs would carry them. Suddenly, Raynar noticed a small outcropping nearby, and by it, the entrance to a cavern. Raynar signed for them to follow as he ducked into the cave, followed by the others one by one just seconds before the avalanche came crashing down and sealed them inside the cave.

"Okay…so we escaped the avalanche, now how do we get out?" Derek asked as he looked around. Due to the blocked opening, it was pitch-black inside. Raynar took the trispear from his back and focused his aura into the blades, causing them to give off a soft glow. Immediately he realized he was face to face with none other than John. "What the…what are YOU doing here!" he exclaimed with obvious irritation. "I should ask you the same thing!" Raynar replied angrily. As the two began their shouting match, Eva couldn't take it any longer; neither could Scylla, the Seviper that worked alongside John and Westley. Eva and Scylla pulled their respective allies away from each other and set themselves between the two of them. "Haven't you ever heard of diplomacy!" Eva shouted angrily at Raynar. Taken aback by her sudden aggression, Raynar remained silent, as did everyone else save Scylla, as she had witnessed Eva's temper first hand and knew that although the Gardevoir was slow to anger, when she was finally pushed over the edge, watch out. "I have a better question" Scylla hissed in irritation, "since the cave's sealed up, how do we get out of here now!" Everyone remained silent for a moment, Raynar pacing back and forth in irritation when he noticed something; the deeper into the cave he got, the warmer it became. "This way!" he shouted, "we should try going deeper!" No one moved, but John, always the pessimist, had something to say about Raynar's stroke of genius. "Yeah, but I also know it's hot back there" he replied, "I'm an ICE type, so I don't think so!" Everyone turned to him and narrowed their eyes at him. "Yeah, and Raynar's a STEEL type" Eva replied, "he doesn't like heat either, so c'mon!" Eva suddenly grabbed Derek and John by the arms and dragged them over to Raynar, Scylla, Westley and Andre following behind to make sure they didn't struggle.

After about five minutes of stumbling around in the dark, Raynar halted in astonishment at the intense heat, which by now was almost unbearable; he sniffed the air and noticed a rather repulsive odor. "Alright, who cut the cheese?" Westley asked, waving his hand in front of his face. "No one" Raynar replied, "that's Sulfur Dioxide gas. You can tell because it smells like rotten eggs…wait! THAT means…" Suddenly Raynar ran deeper in, the others following when he noticed a huge increase in the heat he felt already along with a crimson glow. He was nothing short of amazed at what he saw; it was a lake of molten magma, with a narrow strip of land leading to a smile isle in the center. There was an alter much like the one Raynar saw in the underwater cavern, and he deduced almost immediately that it could be nothing other than the location of another orb. Everyone else stopped behind him and looked out across the lake. "Damn…" John muttered, shuddering at the thought of falling into the magma. "Wait a minute…"Raynar muttered as he cautiously started across the bridge, "what if there's another guardian?" Eva suddenly came up behind him and grabbed his arm. "Raynar, I don't like this…" Eva muttered, "what if something happens and the bridge gets melted or something?" Raynar turned to her and smiled. "Then I guess I'll have to improvise!" At his Eva rolled her eyes, knowing that when Raynar said "I'll have to improvise", he really meant "I don't have a damned clue". Eva nodded and followed behind him. Derek was about to go after them when Andre got in the way. "Hold it Derek" he said sternly, "there's something wrong." Derek froze instantly, remembering that the last time Andre sensed danger, it was just before Kyogre froze him solid. Raynar walked up to the alter and noticed a concave indent in the top. It looked as if something HAD been there but was removed. _Wait a second…uh oh…_ he thought when suddenly there was a loud rumbling, followed by the bridge between the island and the entrance being covered by the magma. "Raynar! Eva!" Derek shouted just as a gargantuan figure emerged from the magma and stomped onto the island. Raynar, sensing the threat, charged at the creature only to be swatted away into the wall near the entrance, getting knocked out in a single hit. "Raynar!" Eva shouted before turning back to the great red monster before her, "just who do you think you are!" The creature then spoke in a loud, booming voice that clearly displayed his incredible power, "who do I _think_ I am! I _know_ who I am!" Eva, intimidated by his sudden reply backed away until she was just at the edge of the magma. "W-Who are you?" she stuttered, trying her best to hide her mounting fear. "I am all that you stand on and all that you don't. I am both the smallest grain of sand and the greatest mountain" he shouted back "I am Groudon, Master of the Earth!" Eva's fear increased to a whole new level; Groudon was a legendary pokemon, and the last time she encountered a similar one, she didn't even see it coming. Now she was without Raynar, and an easy target. "What did I do! Why are you after me!" she exclaimed. "Don't try to sound stupid, mortal!" Groudon shouted back, "I've seen far too many deceptions to be fooled by _that_. You stole the Red Orb, but you obviously do not have it with you! Prepare for battle!" Eva swallowed loudly and finally came to terms with the fact that she may not make it through this alive. "Bring it on!" she shot back with a greater courage than she thought she possessed.

Groudon immediately started towards her and brought a massive claw down upon her, which Eva barely evaded before it slammed into the ground. The giant pokemon began to recover, but Eva was a step ahead of him. She fired a flurry of Magical Leaf attacks at her opponent, despite the attack's power being reduced by the intense heat. The attacks bounced off Groudon's thick hide as he returned fire with Earth Power. Plumes of magma erupted around Eva, but the attack barely missed yet again. _Okay, so much for THAT idea…_ she thought, _what else can I do…I know!_ Eva suddenly teleported behind Groudon and fired her Focus Blast. The attack struck home and sent him flying forward, but he was back up within a few seconds. "Was that your best shot?" Groudon replied with a wide grin, "here's mine!" He opened his mouth and fired a massive beam from his mouth, Solarbeam. Eva was slammed directly by this attack and was blown far off into the ocean. She teleported again back to the island but nevertheless landed on her rear end. She stood up and focused; she was going to try a move she had never used before: Mirror Coat. Groudon launched another Solarbeam of even greater power, which slammed into the Mirror Coat and shot right back at him. Groudon roared loudly as the attack launched him out into the magma, upon which he fell in, unconscious once more.

Eva, now exhausted, turned back towards her companions and teleported over to them before collapsing into Raynar's arms. _How did you…never mind…_ he thought as he helped her back to her feet. "That was…well, a blast!" Raynar exclaimed jokingly as Eva steadied herself. "I've been practicing" she replied happily. "Okay, what just happened here!" John exclaimed, "and what was THAT thing!" Raynar immediately turned towards John, almost not surprised at the fact that John knew absolutely nothing of what had just occurred. "Eva has just defeated a legendary pokemon known as Groudon, the Master of the Earth, just as Kyogre is Master of the Seas" he replied, "and it appears that they are guarding orb-like objects, a type of which I am not familiar with…but what disturbs me is how hard Kyogre and Groudon fought to protect them. They must have some type of power, the likes of which could be dangerous in the wrong hands." Andre shook his head, trying to think things through. _There's no way they could have known about the orb's power unless they have somebody among them who is familiar with the Legend of the Earth Trinity… _he thought, _but they would also have to know how to DEFEAT them as well, and I doubt even Mewtwo would possess that kind of knowledge…no, I shouldn't make premature assumptions. There is still so much we don't know…_ "Uh…Andre?" Raynar asked, "you okay?" Andre suddenly snapped out of his daze upon realizing that he had been lost in thought for the fiftieth time at least. "It's nothing…" he replied, "let's get out of here, my fur's singed as it is…"

"That oughta keep them out of our way" an Abomasnow said to a Charizard standing high on the ridge. "Excellent work Sergeant" replied the Charizard, "Lord Saul will be most pleased by our success…Lieuteniant, make note of this in our mission log…" A Machoke standing behind him pulled out a clipboard and a pen and started to write in what the Charizard told him. "At 0830, with assistance from XM2, the Red Orb was successfully retrieved from the magma lake" he said, "At 0915, drove back a trio of saboteurs and at 0935, sighted, then imprisoned Priority Target Number One within a cavern via Avalanche. Target Eliminated." He then took the clipboard from the Machoke and signed _D.F. Burnn, General, Cyclone._ He turned away and nodded towards Mewtwo in the distance, and with a bright flash, they teleported away to parts as of yet unknown.

With a final Focus Punch, Raynar punched through the ice barrier at the mouth of the cave, bringing it crashing down in a flurry of ice, snow and debris. He stepped out into the remarkably inviting frigid air. Before he could move, John right past him and dove into the snow, scattering it everywhere. "Finally! I never thought I'd make it out of that inferno!" he shouted ecstatically. "What's the big deal?" Westley replied, "it's just snow…right?" John suddenly froze up and gave Westley a look that told him to run as fast as he could. He got the hint and started down the mountain as fast as possible, pursued by John and Scylla. Raynar, Eva, Andre and Derek looked on with a mix of amusement and embarrassment. "Well, so much for working together…" Raynar muttered, "we'd better get off the mountain too. I'm freezing my tail off up here…"


	18. Chapter 17: The Return of Aranam

Chapter 17 – The Return of Aranam

_Raynar, Eva, Derek and Andre have discovered that two precious orbs have been stolen from Kyogre and Groudon respectively. Raynar is already suspecting Cyclone of having something to do with it, as well as the possibility that they also have the Jade Orb, guarded by the mighty Rayquaza. Raynar has his work cut out for him; defeat Cyclone and return the Orbs to their rightful places, but there are some other complications…but what of Dallon Lettos' "Buisness" in Arcceonn? The answer to this lies just ahead._

"Do you think that maybe Cyclone knows something we don't about the Orbs?" Raynar asked suddenly; "Wouldn't surprise me if they did" Andre replied flatly, "after all, I've been fighting them for longer than you've been alive Raynar…" Raynar stopped suddenly and spun around. "What!" he exclaimed. Andre realized he had said to much and replied, "Never mind…" Raynar didn't want to hear it; he already had to put up with enough lies and secrets, he needed to know what Andre was hiding from him. "Start talking Andre, what are you hiding from me!" he shouted angrily. Defeated, Andre sighed and replied, "…I arrived in Arcceonn nineteen years ago" he replied somberly, "…as part of your father's exploration team." He cleared his throat as he continued, "your father, myself, and Razon were all on the same team: Team Avengers."

"Whoa! Hold on!" Eva exclaimed, "Razon the Dagger…and you…were partners!" Andre nodded sadly; "It's been many years, but I remember that Razon left after a big argument with Aranam, who promptly kicked him off the team after Razon said something he shouldn't have…" He sighed and continued, "Razon seems to hate you Raynar, but in truth he just wants forgiveness…even though their ideals differed, he and Aranam were still friends, and nothing can change that." Raynar couldn't believe what he was hearing; one of his most bitter enemies could in fact be his greatest ally, but something still seemed out of place. He couldn't worry about that now, as he still had to get out of the mountain pass.

"Well, I think it's time we got out of…GAH!" Raynar exclaimed as he was hit by an attack and knocked out. "We're under attack! Get down!" Derek shouted before he too was hit, Eva falling next. Only Andre saw the silhouette of their attackers, and to him, it resembled a familiar-looking ghost type…

Raynar awoke in darkness, unable to see much of anything, but he could feel that he was blindfolded, gagged and bound. "Dammit!" he thought angrily, "We've been captured!" Suddenly the blindfold, gag and bindings were removed, although cuffs still bound his hands. He saw Eva, Derek and Andre in similar predicaments, and in front of him, Razon and…

"Dallon!" Raynar exclaimed, "what's going on here! Where are we!" Dallon suddenly punched him in the face and sent him reeling backwards. "What the!" he exclaimed. Dallon chuckled slightly before replying, "where we are is of no concern to you Raynar, and it's not Dallon. It's General Lettos to you!" Raynar almost couldn't believe what he was hearing; Dallon was part of Cyclone! "How could you join Cyclone, Dallon!" Raynar shouted angrily, "you betrayed everything you said you believed in!" Dallon's grin only widened and he laughed loudly. "Look Raynar, I've been an operative for Cyclone since before I met you two years ago" he replied, "it's no surprise, given my ancestor was a General in the Wyvernian Imperial Army in 1368, the year of Wyvernia's defeat in the Great Arcceonn War." He turned to Razon and gestured to him; Razon nodded and grabbed Eva and Derek while Dallon did the same to Raynar and Andre. "There's no telling what lies ahead Raynar" Andre said, "be ready for whatever happens…"

Raynar and his companions were now outside, from Raynar's own observations at the top of a mountain. The cold wind stung him, running over him like a string of needles, but he knew that the wind was now the least of his worries. "So _you're_ my enemy's heir…" a voice said, prompting Raynar to look up. Just in front of him was a Salamence that appeared as if he had been through countless battles, a true war veteran, and on either side stood Axxonn and Mewtwo. To either of his own side, Raynar took note of Darman and a Scizor he assumed must be Cade. "I must say, I'm rather disappointed Raynar, I expected more out of you…" the Salamence taunted, "but before I dispose of you, allow me to introduce myself…I am Saul, Emperor of Wyvernia and rightful ruler of Arcceonn!" Raynar struggled to get to his feet but was held down by Cade and Darman. "Not so fast Raynar!" Cade said with a hint of malice, "You've kicked our asses all over the region, but now it's our turn!" Cade raised his leg and kicked Raynar to the ground, the impact making a sickening crunch as metal struck bone. Raynar couldn't even cry out from the pain, but his resolve wasn't broken yet.

"Enough Cade" Saul said, "you two can back off now." Cade and Darman bowed before stepping back and to the side. "Now Raynar" he continued, "how do you think we intend to take over Arcceonn?" Raynar was about to make a smart remark about them failing at Station Two but decided against it upon noticing Eva in the same predicament. "No? Well, it's actually rather simple…" he replied, gesturing to an odd machine behind him that Raynar noticed contained the three Elemental Orbs, "we control the weather using _Supercell_!" Raynar was dumbfounded; he had no idea that the orbs contained that kind of power, but only now did he realize what would happen to Arcceonn. "Unfortunately, there's a catch however…" Saul continued, "it needs the life force of someone with a pure aura to start the machine." Mewtwo cut in, adding, "and that's where your little friend comes in." He raised his arm and brought Eva towards him. "With her life energy, the process can begin" Saul continued, "and don't worry, she'll only _die_ as a result!"

"No! You wouldn't!" Raynar exclaimed, "I'll do anything, just don't hurt her, I beg you!" Eva struggled fiercely in Mewtwo's grasp, but the latter was far too strong. "Then suggest another!" Saul shot back angrily, "who else here has a pure aura!" Raynar was suddenly unable to answer, for he already knew that for Eva to be spared…would mean _he_ would have to take her place! _If I do this, all hope for Arcceonn is lost…_ Raynar thought, _but…if it means I must die…to save Eva…then so be it!_ "Take me in her place!" Raynar shouted. "Raynar, don't!" Andre shouted, but he was silenced by Razon, who promptly knocked him out with Guillotine. "You…you would take her place!" Saul exclaimed, surprised that Raynar didn't seem to realize what the consequences would be, "is…is that your decision?" Raynar nodded his head slowly, Eva screaming in protest, "Raynar! You can't do this to me! RAYNAR!" Mewtwo let Eva go and picked up Raynar in his grasp. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment Raynar…" Saul replied, grinning widely, "at last I will have my revenge against your ancestor, by killing off his dynasty!" Mewtwo took Raynar's spear away from him and tossed it aside while he placed Raynar inside the device as he activated the switch. Raynar could already feel himself beginning to weaken as his life force was drained from him. He had accepted his fate, knowing that even if this was the end, Eva would live on in his place…

Axxonn watched this in a combination of horror and amazement; he had never seen somebody else make such a sacrifice…or had he! Suddenly he remembered himself, standing beside another who appeared to be an Absol, and in front of him, none other than Saul. "You have a lot of courage to try and defy me!" Saul shouted in his memories, "Wyvernia will rise again, no matter what it takes!" Axxonn looked to his left and the Absol nodded, ready for a fight. "Not if I can help it!" shouted an all-too familiar voice as he found himself charging into battle when he came to a horrifying realization: that was _his own_ voice!

Axxonn collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in pain. "Axxonn, what is it!" Saul exclaimed. "I…I don't know!" Axxonn shouted in despair, "these memories! I don't understand!" He heard a voice in his own head, one he recognized again as his own. "You have been corrupted by darkness, and have forgotten who you are. You are of the K'Tal dynasty, an heir to Arcceonn, break free and fulfill your destiny!" Axxonn's eyes shot open with the thought, "Raynar K'Tal, my son!" Suddenly he stood up and turned towards Supercell. "RAYNAR!" he shouted as he leapt high into the air and focused his energy into a beam that completely destroyed Supercell and sent Raynar flying.


	19. Chapter 18: Endgame

Chapter 18 – Endgame

_Aranam K'Tal has returned with a vengeance and has freed his son Raynar while destroyin Cyclone's deadly weather machine, Supercell. Now as the battle hits a feverpitch, Aranam must now lead the fight against his former Emperor. Little does he know, however, that the true threat is not in Saul, but in a far more dangerous form. It is this ultimate threat that could lead to the end of not only Arcceonn, but the World as we know it. The Final Battle…has begun!_

"It can't be!" Dallon exclaimed, "Aranam has returned!" The very next second, Aranam sent him flying with Dark Pulse, slamming him against a wall and knocking him out. Next, Aranam turned his attention to Cade and Darman, who each turned to each other and shouted "RUN!" As the duo fled in panic, Aranam freed Raynar and each of his companions. "Dad!" Raynar exclaimed as he grabbed Aranam in a sudden embrace, "I _knew_ you were alive! I _KNEW_ IT!" Aranam stiffened up slightly but eventually returned the embrace. "I never thought I'd see you alive my son" he replied, "I'm just glad you're alive still!"

Saul roared furiously at what had just conspired. "Aranam!" he shouted angrily, "I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Aranam turned towards him and narrowed his eyes. "You know what Saul? Shut up." He said flatly, "I beat you once, and I can do it again!" Andre walked over to his side and added, "Let's do this Aranam!" Razon appeared on his other side, causing Aranam to flinch somewhat. "I know it was pretty rotten what I did…" he said , "but please, let me fight by your side one last time." Aranam smiled and replied, "I would be honored my friend." The three turned towards Saul, who was even more livid at Razon's betrayal. "Insolent fools! I'll finish you myself!" Aranam drew his spear, and with a shout of "Sien Semper Arcceonn", Team Avengers charged into battle for the final time…

*"Sien Semper Arcceon" means "Long Live Arcceonn!"

To call the battle 'intense' would be the grandest of understatements as Aura Sphere, Razor Wind, Sludge Bomb and Draco Meteor attacks arched through the sky, lighting it in a firestorm of destruction. Hits were scored by both sides, but ultimately Saul's disadvantage in numbers proved too much for him, and he fell in defeat.

Aranam walked over to his fallen foe when suddenly Saul stood back up, far from broken. "Naïve fools! You cannot defeat me, ev…GRAAAAARRRRRGHHH!" he roared as he was hit with an attack from an unseen source. He was flung into the ground so hard that there was no doubt in everyone's mind that Saul was dead, killed on impact. Aranam looked up to identify the source of the attack when a bright light filled the sky. The next second after that, a scream rang out as Aranam was hit by the same attack and flung back into his allies. "Dad!" Raynar exclaimed as he was about to run over when suddenly he realized that he was the next target. Quickly, he leapt from the line of fire as a dark sphere slammed into the ground where he had stood just seconds before. _A Shadow Ball!_ He exclaimed, _That must mean…_ Raynar looked up and, to his dismay, was staring up at none other than Mewtwo.

"Oh well, that's two out of three obstacles removed…" he said flatly. "What the…what did you do to my dad, and Saul!" Raynar exclaimed. Mewtwo laughed in triumph as he replied, "Saul has been silenced, forever, as has your father!" Raynar felt as if his spear had been driven into his chest and twisted around; his father couldn't be dead, it just couldn't happen! "Why! Why are you doing this!" Raynar shouted in anger. "Simple Raynar, I realized that one with my power shouldn't be the servant, but the _master_!" Mewtwo replied, "and so, _I_ will take over where Saul left off, and unlike him, I don't need a weather machine, I have all the power I need!" Mewtwo moved his arm around a few times in a circular motion, and in seconds, a category four hurricane had formed right on top of them. "Arcceonn would be _powerless_ to stop me" Mewtwo continued, "…but why should I stop there! With my power, I can bring the entire world to its knees! _All_ will bow before me!" Raynar couldn't grasp the megalomaniacal ideas Mewtwo was describing, but he knew now that Mewtwo was a far greater threat than the whole of Cyclone combined. "You killed Darkrai…and you killed my father…just so you can rule the World!" Raynar exclaimed furiously. "I'd be willing to take _billions_ of lives if I had to, starting with yours!" Mewtwo shot back, "That is what I would give to obtain a utopia!"

Eva watched the shouting match between the two when she heard the last thing Mewtwo said. _Billions! He's insane!_ She thought. She continued to watch as Raynar lowered his head, seemingly in defeat, but Eva could sense something else: a primal rage that Eva had never thought possible was about to be unleashed. "You call that a UTOPIA!" Raynar shouted suddenly, his aura suddenly flaring up, turning from blue to silver to white. His spear disappeared as well, Raynar's aura continuing to grow in strength until it was nearly overwhelming. "I'd rather DIE than let that happen!" he roared as he reached full power and leapt up at Mewtwo. This battle would determine the fate of the world; Raynar could not afford to lose.

Raynar got within range of hand-to-hand combat and unleashed a flurry of rapid blows against Mewtwo, but the genetic pokemon simply blocked each and every one before striking back with Psycho Cut. Raynar was thrown back, but to Mewtwo's shock, instead of Raynar going down, he seemed to be growing even stronger! _What's this?_ Mewtwo thought just as Raynar came back at him. Mewtwo again blocked his attacks, but this time, a single Force Palm got through and hit him square under his jaw. He was sent flying into the rocks below, nearly stunned from the attack. Raynar's power surprised him greatly; _he could be a match for me…_ he thought _no, I am the Ultimate Weapon, I cannot be defeated!_ Raynar was already attacking again. This time he was too fast to block, so Mewtwo had to dodge every single attack consecutively.

"Whoa…look at him _go_!" Derek exclaimed, "I'd never seen anything like that!" Andre was also surprised, but he had been told something by Aranam long ago, "there are times when all seems lost, and resistance is futile, but even in the deepest of shadows, a light shines within!" Now he knew what Aranam had meant; it was that tiny flicker of hope that gave Raynar this power, a power unmatched since his ancestor and namesake: Raynar the Great, King of Arcceonn, had lead his troops to victory during the Great Arcceonn War.

Mewtwo couldn't believe what was happening; every second, Raynar was getting stronger, while he was getting weaker! Mewtwo knew that he had to end the fight quickly, or risk Raynar's retribution. Charging all his power, he fired the strongest Shadow Ball he could muster. Raynar followed suit with Aura Sphere, colliding it with Mewtwo's attack. Mewtwo backed up his attack with a beam of the same energy, as did Raynar; the two were locked in a deadly tug of war, the outcome of which would decide who lives, and who dies. Raynar pushed just a bit harder, and finally, Mewtwo's resistance was shattered, Raynar's beam impacting him with incredible power. All could hear Mewtwo's scream just as the attack hit, followed by a bright flash before all fell completely silent once more. Mewtwo had disappeared, not dead, but certainly not a threat either, and Raynar had emerged the victor.

Raynar had finally calmed down when he remembered that his father had been hit by Mewtwo's attack. "Raynar!" Eva shouted, "your father! Get over here!" Immediately, he ran to his side and, to his relief, found that his father's aura still gave off its ambient glow. However, his relief turned to horror when he saw that Aranam's aura was slowly fading away. "Dad!" Raynar exclaimed, tying to wake his father, "it's me! The battle's over, we won!" Aranam was indeed conscious and gave Raynar a week smile despite being in unbearable pain. "That's…good to hear…Raynar…" he replied in obvious strain, "now go…leave me here…" Aranam couldn't believe what he was hearing; his father thought he was going to die! "No dad, Im taking you with me!" he replied frantically, "I came all this way to save you!" Aranam smiled weakly and grabbed his son's hand as tightly as he could with his waning strength. "You…already have…my son…Raynar…I'm proud of…for all…that you've done…but now…my legacy falls to you…" Eva watched on as Raynar was obviously struggling to hold himself together; she knew just how painful it was to watch a parent die before your eyes. "My last wish…is for you to be happy…" Aranam whispered, "live a long…and fruitful life…and do your best…like…always…" With that, Aranam's eyes shut and his grip loosened till his hand fell, and with a final breath, bearing an eerie, faint smile, Aranam K'Tal, the reason for Raynar's whole journey, passed away.

Raynar was devastated; he had come all this way to save his father, only to witness his death by his side. He felt like crying his heart out, but for some reason no tears came to his eyes; this made him feel guilty, but then he realized what his journey was truly about. He remembered back to when he first met Eva twelve years prior, then to some moment with her a few years later. He remembered leaving for the academy at age 15...only to be expelled two years later. More recently, he remembered his first encounter with Jack and Westley, reuniting with Eva and Derek, assisting Zane in sinking Cyclone's submarine. Finally, he remembered meeting Andre, the battle at Station Two, meeting Darkrai and Cresselia, encountering Axxonn in the Adamantite Cavern, Kyogre and Groudon. All these defining moments of his lead here, to this second of this day. Raynar's journey was not to find his father, but a journey of self-discovery, of happiness and hardships, and triumphs and tragedies. This was the final destination, and he, Raynar K'Tal, had succeeded in his mission, by completing the Greatest of Adventures.

"Uh…Raynar, you okay?" Eva asked, "…Raynar?" Raynar smiled faintly and stood up, lifting Aranam's corpse onto his shoulder. "C'mon guys, let's go home…"


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

"…And the five of them all returned to Station Two with Aranam's remains, where he was buried and remains to this day" Raynar said to a shiny Ralts that lay in his arms, "as for Raynar, he and Eva married and had a daughter. They still live here to this day." The Ralts smiled up at him and smiled weakly, yawning loudly as Raynar stood up and walked over to his daughter's bed, where he placed her squarely in the middle before tucking her in. "Goodnight Sarah, sleep well…" he said as he kissed her on the forehead and walked out.

"So what story did you tell her?" Eva asked; "Ours" Raynar replied, "for the eighth time at least…" Eva smiled, as did Raynar. "I'm assuming you intend for her to follow in your footsteps?" Andre asked from behind him. Raynar turned around and smirked; "I don't know Pops, that's for her to choose when she's older!" Raynar replied with a grin. "I told you stop calling me that!" Andre replied with irritation, "it makes me feel old!" Razon laughed loudly before adding, "yeah but the name's so descriptive!" Andre couldn't argue that point at all, as it was revealed, a while after their journey, that he was indeed Eva's father, as shocking as it seemed. Technically, his species and Elaine's were not supposed to be able to interbreed, but that was exactly what had happened. Raynar turned to walk out when Eva noticed him leaving. "Don't stay out too long!" Eva shouted to him. Raynar nodded as he opened the door and walked out.

Raynar stood alone in the moonlight, looking over his father's grave as always. It had been two years since his journey ended, but the memory of his father's death was still fresh in his mind. Something was different about tonight though, there was an odd chill in the air that seemed vaguely familiar.

Without warning, a very familiar figure appeared from Raynar's shadows. "I was wondering when you'd show up again Darkrai" Raynar said, "it's been two years…" Darkrai chuckled slightly and replied, "yeah…about that…" Darkrai suddenly looked off to the west and exclaimed, "Damn! Gotta run!" As Darkrai sped off into the night, Cresselia appeared from the direction Darkrai was looking. "Dammit! Missed him again!" Cresselia complained. "You didn't miss him by much Cresselia" Raynar replied, "he went to the Northeast." Cresselia smiled before looking off in the direction Raynar said Darkrai had gone. "Ooooh! One of these days Darkrai! One of these days!" she shouted as she sped off after him.

"It's safe now" Raynar said about a minute later, "you can come out now." Darkrai appeared from Raynar's shadow and let out a sigh of relief, "whew…_that_ was close…" Raynar turned to him and asked, "why is it you've been running from her anyways? You do something to her?" Darkrai shook his head and replied, "Nope, commitment issues…" Understanding what Darkrai meant, the two of them laughed at Darkrai's witty, albeit dry attempt at a joke. "It's getting late Darkrai, I have to get back home" Raynar said, "take care of yourself, okay?" Darkrai nodded and replied, "You too…" before the two of them parted, each disappearing into the night.


End file.
